Transformers Prime: The Clone Chronicles
by everyday hero
Summary: this is a new series idea i have. takes place in the middle of season 2, a little after Nemesis Prime. The Autobots are finally winning the war because of their new clone army. Except clones always mean trouble. Filled with story twists and adventure
1. Chapter 1

**I am starting my own season for TF: Prime, to say the least. It takes place in the middle of season 2, sorta kinda after Nemesis Prime and let's pretend that the Armada episode never happened (I swear they got the cloning idea from me...) Anyway, I hope you enjoy the ride.  
**

Episode 1: Send in the Clones

Rain ruled the skies over the sleepy town of Jasper, Nevada. A thin, tall figure sadly walked on the deserted road, craning his head back whenever he suspected a vehicle approaching. His thin arms wrapped around his thin body as he shivered violently.

"Oh, if I still had my T-Cog," Starscream moaned to himself. "I could transform into a jet and leave this wretched planet with its merciless precipitation."

He dreadfully knew that rust would devour his body in time, but it would be far better than meeting Megatron again. He shuddered when he pictured Megatron cornering him in the middle of the night, the tip of his sword at his face.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the familiar sound of grinding wheels. Starscream swiftly retreated into the shadows of the cliff next to the road, and waited patiently. Moments later, a dark red and black tanker truck came into his view. A thick cage covered the entire front cab section and its fog lights glowed ominously through the rain. Starscream detected a scratched Decepticon symbol on the rear of the truck, and he clumsily chased after it.

"Stop! Stop!," he exclaimed as he pounded the chemical tank. The vehicle ceased and he ran in front of the headlights.

"Thank the Allspark! Please help me!"

The truck then transformed into a monster of a robot. His arms were thick and long, with skeletal fingers. A massive blaster cannon rested on his spiky back. A red visor covered his optics, and his large face had a pointy chin.

"F-Flatline?" Starscream said. "Is it really you?"

"It is me, Commander Starscream," he replied in a husky yet sinister voice. "I sincerely regret betraying Lord Megatron when he sent me to scout for Energon only eons ago."

Starscream paused. Flatline did not know about his breaking away from the Decepticons. For a second, Starscream's spark brightened. His ingenious plan could be executed through Flatline, who was known as a mad scientist…

"Your apology is wise," Starscream commented. "But it will not save you from Megatron's deadly grasp." Flatline looked down miserably.

"However, if you complete a certain task I have in mind, your life will be spared."

"Only if it is in Lord Megatron's best interests. To only him, I obey."

"Yes, yes, Megatron demands it," Starscream said, annoyed at Flatline's senseless loyalty like the other Decepticons. "He sent me, his most superior lieutenant, to supervise your progress."

"Then I will commence the task. What does he require?"

Starscream smiled briefly. The continuous years of planning were finally paying off.

"You are to build an army for Megatron, more advanced than those drones you gave him during the war on Cybertron. They will be cloned versions of Autobots, with identical combat skills, trained to destroy our enemies for us," he proudly said.

"That is quite an ambitious project. I will execute his task once I return to my lab."

"You have a laboratory? May I reside there with you? I had to sacrifice my T-Cog for that imbecile, Airachnid. I have no where to go."

"Your request is granted, Commander Starscream." Flatline transformed back into tanker mode and Starscream awkwardly sat on the back of the truck. The truck began driving once more, and Starscream applauded himself for his genius.

"Soon, with my new army, I will become lord over all Autobots. And Decepticons," he fantasized, closing his eyes in peace.

* * *

Jack Darby couldn't believe what Mr. Huff was writing on the board. Five minutes after school had ended, he was still writing up more Chemistry assignments…and a surprise.

"Don't forget, test on Thursday," he announced proudly, and the class let out a synchronized groan. He slammed the pen loudly on the board and the students drowsily left the room. When Jack stepped outside and took his first breath of fresh air, he realized that his throat was as dry as sawdust. He quickly got on his motorcycle and sped away from his normal life.

"What took?" Arcee questioned, when they were away from earshot.

"Mr. Huff," Jack spat. "He's giving us a test in three days."

"Really? Didn't you just have one-"

"Last week? Yeah, he stinks."

"Sounds like Flatline," Arcee said. "He was this mad scientist back on Cybertron. I heard that he gave a test to his apprentices every hour on the hour."

"I bet he's chillin' with Mr. Huff right now," Jack joked.

* * *

"Impressive," Starscream complimented as Flatline drove through a hologram of a lake. A crash-landed Cybertronian troop-carrier lied in a ditch, with Vehicon drones guarding it. Flatline transformed and pulled down on a lever at the side of the ship, and the drop door revealed a high-tech laboratory inside. A surplus of Energon cubes lined the walls, and work tables were cluttered with unfinished projects. Starscream looked at a hologram screen on the wall, and recognized formulas for failed synthetic Energon. A dozen vats were filled with blue Energon, containing a Vehicon clone in each one of them.

"I will begin developing a DNA copying device for the Autobots immediately," Flatline said coldly. "One more advanced than the antique I used to create the Vehicons."

He threw a rusty scanner gun into a corner of the room.

"Excellent! I am pl- Megatron will be most pleased," Starscream stuttered.

Flatline nodded. "But first, let me make some room for you."

His scaly fingers morphed into a blade, and he stabbed the chest of a Vehicon in a vat. He mercilessly threw its crumpled body into an incinerator, and did the same to the other clones. Flatline then scooted the empty vats apart and revealed a gunner cockpit behind.

"Here it is," Flatline said, his visor glowing like fire. "If you'll excuse me, I have a cloning device to attend to."

He exited the cockpit, and Starscream slouched on the chair, still shaking from the horror he had witnessed.

"Flatline certainly lives up to his reputation," he quivered, watching a puddle of Vehicon Energon slowly leak inside.

* * *

The guardians drove into the base and transformed after the kids got off.

"That-was-wicked-awesome," Miko uttered to Bulkhead.

"What was?" Raf asked.

"Bulk was in a high-speed chase with a Con," Miko started, trying to gasp for breath. "Right when we were gonna be dead meat and metal, he turned around and the Con fell down a cliff. He just went KABLAMO!"

"I feel bad for the poor guy," Bulkhead said.

"What? A Vehicon?" Arcee shouted. "Bulk, they were practically made to be easy scrap metal. There will always be more."

Bumblebee bleeped.

"Yeah it is unfortunate, Bee," Raf agreed.

"Guys," Jack pointed. "Look."

They wheeled their bodies around and saw Optimus exiting theGroundBridge. His chest windows were cracked and his metal was bent and charred. Although it looked painful, he walked slowly and calmly.

"Optimus, what happened to you?" Ratchet asked as he prepared his medical tools.

"Nothing serious, old friend. Be concerned, however, over the Decepticons. They have successfully obtained all Energon deposits on this continent."

"Darn Cons," Bulkhead pounded. "They keep outnumbering us."

"Aren't there more 'Bots out there?" Miko asked. "Where are they?"

"Of course. But they're all scattered across distant galaxies," Ratchet explained while repairing Optimus. "Or they're like Wheeljack, and prefer to work alone."

"Well, why can't you use drones?" Jack spoke. "The Cons use them all the time."

"Yeah," Raf and Miko joined.

Ratchet face palmed himself. The guardians made hand motions to stop talking. They had all experienced Optimus' lecture on drones before. Optimus gently bent down to look closer at their faces.

"I will answer your question, Jack, but only once. We do not use drones because we believe that the life of every sentient being should be valued. The Vehicons are actually, not weapons of destruction, but clones of a feared Decepticon warrior. Megatron only saw a military advantage when they were created, only lifeless soldiers. Their prime purpose was to bring extra firepower. I do admit that Megatron's tactic has proved effective, but I refuse to rise through my comrades' fall."

He paused. "Is there more you want me to explain?"

"N-nope, we're good," Jack said, bending his head down. Optimus was about to comfort Jack when Agent Fowler appeared at the elevator.

"Prime!" he shouted, with a tinge of fear in his voice. "It's all over town! A local mine has been flattened into a pancake! I have a hunch that the Decepticons are to blame."

"I suspect that as well," Optimus agreed. "Jack, you are in charge."

"Aye, aye captain," Jack saluted.

"Ratchet, there might be survivors under the mine! They might require assistance! Autobots, transform and roll out!"

Raf activated the Ground Bridge to the location, and the Autobots rocketed inside. Ratchet stopped next to Fowler and reluctantly opened his door.

"Let's go, _partner_. The survivors won't stare in awe at _you_."

"Just quit your yap and drive," Agent Fowler smiled.

"Hands off dashboard," Ratchet said in a monotone. He started his engine and headed into the portal.

* * *

The vehicles skidded out of the Bridge and faced the collapsed mine. It looked like an earthquake occurred. A thick dust cloud formed around the blocked entrance and the carts were crushed under heavy boulders.

"Agent Fowler, you search for any survivors among the rubble. Ratchet, you will remain in ambulance mode. Rafael will bridge you to the hospital."

"Oh joy," he muttered.

The rest of the Autobots transformed and activated their weapons.

"Let's roll," Optimus uttered. He and Bulkhead trotted to the left side of the mine. Arcee and Bumblebee disappeared to the right side.

"Show offs," Ratchet said in vehicle mode.

Agent Fowler stepped out and walked up to the entrance. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled.

"Yoo hoo, is anyone in there?" Only echoes responded. Fowler carefully bent down and began moving the small rocks from the opening, sweating heavily.

"Man, I gotta get in shape," he heaved. "Say, Ratchet? Do you have a body temperature scanner? That would help a lot."

"I'm afraid I don't," Ratchet droned. "While Bumblebee and Bulkhead were lobbing, the two fools damaged my scanners, which I needed at that time."

"Good thing I'm always prepared," Fowler said. He ceremoniously pulled out his Lucky Pen, given to him by the President himself. He pushed its button and a blowtorch flipped from the side.

"Whoops." Agent Fowler purposely showed Ratchet every tool equipped on the pen first and finally made it transform into a heat scanner.

Fowler frowned as he moved the pen over the wreckage. "Not a single beep."

"What?" Ratchet shouted in a concerned voice. He hurried over and plowed the rocks with one swipe of his arm.

"Unless my visual scanners are faulty, it appears that this mine hasn't been used for at least a century." He looked up and saw a long ramp pointing down at the entrance. It was covered with thick dust and small pebbles gathered at the bottom. Pebbles created by a large amount of rocks that had rolled down the ramp…

"It's a trap!" Ratchet shouted at Agent Fowler. He instructed Fowler to stay put and ran to the left side of the mine.

Little did he know that one of Flatline's Cybertronian leeches was stuck on his back, secretly copying his spark that housed his DNA.

"What would Megatron do with a Ratchet army? Watch them bicker about tools?" Starscream scolded Flatline at the rear of the mine. Both of them patiently watched the Autobots' signals slowly reaching their location.

"Our master needs servants, does he not? What's better than a servant with intel on the Autobots?"

Starscream thought about it. "My apologies, Flatline. Megatron will praise your…consideration."

Flatline huffed indignantly. "You will be wise to know your place, Commander. For no one-"

Starscream rejoiced when his speech was interrupted by Optimus Prime.

"Stay behind me, Bulkhead. I detect a strong Energon signature around the corner."

The two Decepticons ended their argument and proceeded with the plan. Flatline transformed into truck mode and parked behind the abandoned construction vehicles. Starscream slid behind a toppled dump truck, where they had hidden an advanced cannon engineered by Flatline. He loaded it with four curled-up Cybertronian leeches, and trained it on Optimus approaching.

"My scanner's getting a signal," Bulkhead said behind Optimus' shoulder. The Autobot leader cautiously moved his scanner over each of the discarded construction vehicles.

"It's coming from there." Arcee pointed at a chemical truck behind the wreckage and Optimus fired at the target.

The truck transformed and dodged the Energon blast. Flatline smiled maliciously at the Autobots.

"Flatline," Optimus glared. "Why do you still fight for the Decepticons even after you have deserted them? Please, side with us, and we will end the war."

"You are foolish for a Prime," Flatline shot back. "Why should I join the losing side?"

Arcee couldn't control her anger anymore. She sprinted forward and launched powerful Energon blasts at Flatline as he driving away. With pinpoint accuracy, Starscream shot a leech at her back, and it crept inside her body.

Optimus, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee followed her, and Starscream fired the leeches at them.

"The leeches are inside their systems now," Starscream radioed to Flatline.

"Good, good. The leeches will duplicate their DNA quicker if their sparks are more energized."

He boosted his speed and easily left the Autobots in the dust.

"Let's get him!" Arcee yelled as she transformed. Optimus switched to truck mode and swiftly stopped in front of her, bracing for impact. Fortunately, Arcee screeched to a halt before she could hit him, and tumbled over.

"Arcee, I am disappointed. You are much wiser than this," Optimus stated. "What caused you to lose control over yourself.?"

"She's angry at everything," Bulkhead said, still tired from pursuing Flatline.

"I didn't need to be reminded," she grimaced. "Of how we lost Cliff."

"Just let him blab as much as he wants," Bulkhead said, a little annoyed. "He'll be dead soon anyway."

Bumblebee bleeped, punching his fist into his hand.

"I am sorry, Bumblebee, but Arcee will not be getting another chance to terminate Flatline," Optimus sighed. "Flatline is far too dangerous to battle alone."

He saw Arcee's face and added, "But Flatline will regret the mistake he made today."

"Optimus!" Ratchet yelled in ambulance mode. He transformed and came up to the Autobot leader.

"The mine collapse was a set-up! Quick, we must retreat!"

"We have taken care of it, Ratchet. This was all Flatline's doing."

Ratchet paused. "I thought Flatline quit the Decepticons."

"Well, he's back now," Arcee said resentfully. "What's stumping me is why he tricked us into coming here."

"Yeah," Bulkhead realized. "There was no Energon to steal, he obviously failed at killing us…what's his plan?"

"I don't know, and I'm not sure I want to find out," Ratchet replied. "Knowing him, it's probably sick and twisted beyond measure."

Soft footsteps were heard in the distance.

"I wait inside a moldy, dusty, foul-smelling crack in a cave for half an hour and I find you folks hanging out at the back," Agent Fowler grumbled as he emerged from the darkness. He looked like he just fell into a tub full of baby powder.

"Let's bridge back. It has been an exhausting day for all of us," Optimus said to his team and Fowler. "And may we be grateful that Flatline's strategy had failed."

Ironically, at that very moment, the leeches sent the copied DNA codes to Flatline's laboratory. After the information was transferred, the leeches crawled out of the Autobots' bodies and self-destructed when the Ground Bridge was opened. No traces were left.

* * *

Starscream hurried to Flatline's work station, a grin plastered on his face the whole time. He couldn't help but kick down the airtight door rather than knocking, as Flatline had instructed. It seemed like he was turning as frenetic as Flatline.

"Rejoice, for your brilliance has brought success!" Starscream exulted. "In my very hands are the codes that will spawn our master's deadly army!"

A hologram flickered on as he opened his palm excitedly. When there was no response, Starscream cracked an optic open and discovered that the room he stood in was no longer the lab. It was pitch black, except for the lighted path in front of him. Starscream took a huge gulp and slowly proceeded forward. He reached a massive Space Bridge generator and used the previous coordinates.

The Decepticon Air Commander emerged from the portal and stepped onto a pulsing asteroid. He recognized Flatline in the distance and scrambled up to him.

Flatline was furious when Starscream called out his name. In a swift motion, he took the cannon from his back and shot at the ground in front of Starscream.

"How did you find me?" he growled. "You don't belong here."

"I used your previous launch coordinates for the Space Bridge," Starscream cringed. "I am here to tell you that your plan was successful. Here are the codes for the-"

"Shut up!" Flatline roared. "I already have the codes. Now get back to the ship before I order Megatron to terminate you."

A large body materialized next to Flatline. Starscream cried out in fear when he identified the body as Optimus Prime.

Flatline sighed hoplessly.

"Commander Starscream, you must not tell anyone about the location of this shard. Even Megatron."

"Shard?" Starscream gasped, still staring at Optimus' clone.

"We're standing on the only shard left of the AllSpark," Flatline explained, in a calmer tone. "I'm sure you know that all Cybertronians are originated from it."

"The AllSpark? But it was destroyed with Cybertron!"

"Correct, but the shards were lost to the stars. This is the only one found."

"Then why keep it away from our master? Surely you pledged full loyalty to him," Starscream challenged, starting to admire Flatline's treachery.

"Megatron is legendary, but he is not wise."

"You dare say such lies of our master?" Starscream pretended. He was liking Flatline more and more.

"Our master would be destroyed if he attempted to absorb the information within this shard. Even he is not fit to hold such divine power."

"The knowledge of everything in the universe," Starscream grinned hungrily. He changed the subject.

"So you use this shard to create clones."

"There is no other way to engineer Cybertronians," Flatline boasted. "All I need to do is punch in the genetic codes and the Spark creates an exact duplicate."

He demonstrated it, and a Vehicon body formed on the shard.

"They are lifeless though without Energon," Flatline added.

"But once the bodies have Enerrgon, they'll have the same capabilities as the originals?"

"Correct. In fact, I have a demonstration for that as well. But only if you swear upon the AllSpark itself that you will never reveal this location."

"I accept your call of treason," Starscream bowed. "For our lord's safety."

Flatline motioned for him to follow and they went back through the Space Bridge. Starscream eagerly watched as Flatline loaded Energon cubes into a large machine and closed the hatch.

He gave a signal to Starscream and he dramatically pulled down the lever.

At first, the Energon cubes inside the machine were heated into a liquid, and it drained into the floor. The black room suddenly became illuminated with bright blue as the Energon gradually filled up a hundred clone vats. Starscream watched feverishly as each of the Autobot clones woke up.

"Flatline, your science continues to impress," Starscream rejoiced in the blue light. "Behold, our unstoppable army!"

**The adventure continues in episode 2...**

**Compliments and/or criticism are welcome. Please, just add a comment (by review or PM) after you're done reading or spread the word. I know I'm asking a lot, but I just want other people's opinions. ROLL OUT.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

Episode 2: Familiar Faces

"So…can you tell me why you're the one who gets to drive?" Arcee asked Jack in motorcycle mode. Right after she picked him up from school, Jack told her that he needed to make a stop before going to the Autobot Base.

"I told you, Arcee. It's an emergency," Jack answered. "I forgot to give my partner the stuff I did for our project. And why are you mad about me driving? It's not like I'm using you to race Vince again."

"Ladies first," Arcee replied simply.

They stopped next to a small orange apartment with clouded windows. In case of Decepticons, Jack pushed Arcee into a dark alley next to the building.

"You call this a safe place?" Arcee complained.

"I can stick a note that says "Kill me now Cons" if you like," Jack replied. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked up the metal stairs.

For a few minutes, Arcee waited patiently, watching her mirrors for Decepticons. All of a sudden, an identical blue and pink motorcycle turned into the alleyway. A female in a leather suit was driving it.

_That's my hologram_, Arcee thought. The motorcycle parked directly in front of her and shut its engine down.

_The driver's still on_, Arcee noticed. At that moment, the driver flickered faintly and disappeared.

Arcee wasted no time to transform and point her pistols at the motorcycle.

"If MECH thinks they can make a copy of me-"

"I'm not MECH," the bike said in her own voice. It transformed into the same robot mode, and Arcee's look-alike put her hands into the air.

"Then who are you? Makeshift?" Arcee spat.

"I'm not Makeshift either," her look-alike sighed. "Look, I'm you!"

Arcee didn't budge one bit.

Her look-alike sighed once more. "Man, why do I have to be so annoying?"

She stood up slowly and spoke.

"I can prove I'm you," she started. "You're gonna ask me three questions. The answers are Polyhex, Airachnid, and Jack Darby. If you want more, I can tell you about your embarrassing run-in with Mirage."

"Don't," Arcee said. Her pistols transformed back into hands. "So uh…_clone_, who created you?"

"Starscream, actually."

"What? He's not smart enough!" Arcee shouted.

"Duh. He teamed up with a Decepticon scientist named Flatline."

"And?"

Her clone paused. "'Scream planned to create an army of evil Autobots with the same fighting capabilities so you'll be destroyed and all that. Except he and Flatline didn't know that the clones still had memories of the originals, you see? We have the same fighting capabilities too, so it didn't take long for us to bust out of there."

"Wait? _Us_?"

Her clone opened her palm, and a hologram chart flickered on. Images of the Autobots were displayed, with life signals underneath.

"Five Arcees, Five Bumblebees, three Bulkheads, one Ratchet, one Optimus," she listed.

"That's it? I thought Starsream had an army."

Arcee looked down sadly. "There were dozens of us, but Flatline killed them off before they could escape. He just drained out their Energon like it was nothing."

The real Arcee looked down as well, trying to imagine the horrors her clone witnessed. Suddenly, Jack's voice disturbed the silence.

"Sorry for the wait, Arcee. My partner had to-"

He stopped at the stairs, his mouth gaping.

"Scrap," the Arcees muttered.

* * *

Miko was furious.

"Where the heck is Jack?" she demanded Bulkhead. "We have a rematch to get to."

"He needed to meet up with his partner for a project," Raf answered. After all, he was the one Jack paid to do most of the research.

"How come you don't have any projects, Miko?" Bulkhead asked.

"C'mon, Bulk. They're so boooring," Miko replied, slamming her body onto the couch.

Everyone sighed, except for Optimus.

"I just hope they are both safe," he said.

Just then, Arcee rolled into the base. Jack stepped off, and she transformed.

"What took you so long? Remember our game?" Miko cried at Jack as he was taking off his helmet. She waved a PS3 controller angrily in the air.

"Arcee had to, uh, pick up a friend."

Arcee smiled and looked over her shoulder, at the light of a vehicle approaching. A blue and pink motorcycle appeared from the entrance and transformed. Arcee posed next to her clone.

"What do you think?"

There was a LONG silence. Raf stopped typing. Bulkhead and Ratchet quitted arguing about the tool Bulkhead stepped on. For once, Miko was speechless. Bumblebee rubbed his optics in disbelief. Optimus only stared at the visitor.

"Welcome," he greeted. "I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots."

"It is an honor finally meeting you," Arcee's clone said. "You're exactly as Arcee's memories pictured."

"And you are exactly the same as my loyal comrade," Optimus replied, nodding at Arcee.

"Optimus," the original Arcee spoke. "She has valuable intel for us."

Her clone nodded and showed him the hologram. "Flatline created us to be an army of evil Autobots for Starscream, but he did not know that we still had our originals' memories."

"Wait, Starscream copied all of us?" Bulkhead finally spoke. Bumblebee shook his head at his slow learning.

Arcee's double ignored him. "We escaped from the facility before they could extinguish our sparks. These are the only survivors."

"Where are they now?" Optimus questioned.

"In Jasper, with your clone as their leader."

Optimus nodded and looked over his shoulder. "Ratchet, open a Ground Bridge for the coordinates Arcee Two has supplied."

"Here?" Ratchet asked. "There isn't enough room even for Bulkhead, and especially not for three more."

"Hey!" Bulkhead shouted.

"I want to see some robot clones!" Miko yelled enthusiastically. Raf and Jack only face palmed themselves.

"I know what we have is small," Optimus began. "But I refuse to let our counterparts be exposed to the Decepticons, especially to Megatron."

Ratchet sighed. "It will be a tight squeeze, but ooooh well." He punched in the coordinates and the portal activated.

Arcee Two transformed and drove into the Ground Bridge.

"I hope your clones are as awesome as you, Bulk," Miko said.

"Yeah, me too. We are gonna rock this place inside out!" Bulkhead boomed. Ratchet sighed regretfully once more.

Jack felt a tug on his sleeve.

"What's up?" he asked Raf.

"What was it like, seeing two Arcees?"

"Scary," he admitted. He saw Raf's face and added, "It will be weird seeing a bunch of Bumblebees at first, but you'll get used to it."

Raf shook his head. "I just hope Bumblebee will still remember me. I don't want it to be like my family."

He looked at Bumblebee, and his guardian bleeped.

"I'm sure they'll like you, Bee," Raf chuckled.

"Rafael," Optimus said. "I suggest that you, Miko, and Jack should move away from the center of the room. I am not sure yet if our guests have good driving skills."

"Right," Raf replied. The kids stood at the sides of the room, Miko obviously in front.

The five Autobots stood at the entrance of the portal, everyone but Optimus and Ratchet, with childishly eager faces.

"I see them!" Miko yelled.

Five motorcycles entered the base and transformed. All of the Arcees winked at the original and Jack, who returned the favor. Three green trucks transformed, and the Bulkheads high-fived Miko. Five yellow muscle cars skidded and transformed. They waved at Bumblebee and Raf. Next, an ambulance drove in and Ratchet shook hands with his clone. All robots made way for a red and blue truck entering the base. It transformed and Optimus smiled at his double.

"You have done well protecting your team. If you allow it, Optimus Prime, may your team reside here with mine?"

"I accept your offer," his clone replied. "Forgive me, but my name is Orion Pax, not Optimus Prime."

"He keeps saying that, for some reason" an Arcee clone spoke. "We think it's because he does not have your Matrix."

"Indeed, it holds all of my memories and wisdom. The vessel cannot be replicated." He looked sadly at Orion. "Will you allow me to call you by my name, Optimus Prime?"

"I'm sorry, but you must call me Orion Pax. I am not like a Prime as you are."

"Very well," Optimus said. "You will always be considered equal to me."

He turned to face the robots.

"To our visitors, I know this base is too crowded for you-"

"No kidding," an Arcee commented, trying to stretch her arms between her clones.

"-But the Decepticons must not discover our secret weapons…for now. With the element of surprise in our hands, our new army will change the war."

Two Bumblebees bleeped happily, and Raf shushed them.

"Keep in mind that, unlike the insensitive Decepticons with their drones, we will treat you with the respect you deserve. When you fight, do not assume that you will be replaced or forgotten, for you are one of us."

"Pardon me," Orion interrupted. "But may you describe the Decepticons? My team has tried, but I believe that Megatronus would never go against his morals."

"The Decepticons are mean jerks who want to destroy the world. _Megatron_ is their boss," Jack answered. The original Arcee gave him a thumbs-up.

"A very accurate definition," Optimus complimented. "But Orion Pax must be informed and trained for combat. Please excuse us for our drive."

He turned towards the Ratchets. "You two are in charge of developing labels for our team. The last thing we need is any identity confusion."

"We have already developed visual signals for the clones," Ratchet's clone replied. "Each clone has his or her own unique energy signature."

"Duly noted," Optimus said. "But the children are not able to detect the signatures. All Autobots in your team must be assigned a number that they will display. Now, Orion Pax! Transform and roll out!"

Orion obeyed, and the two trucks left the base.

No sooner after they exited, Bulkhead raised his voice.

"LET'S PARTY!"

A huge roar from the Autobots and kids responded, but an amplified screech disrupted them.

"Not yet!" Ratchet yelled from the intercom. "You heard Optimus, all Autobot clones line up for your number!"

Bursts of protest louder than before filled the room, but the robots eventually lined up reluctantly.

"I hope I won't have to walk around with a giant 4 around my neck or something," one of the Bulkheads joked to Miko as he joined the line.

"Don't give them any ideas," an Arcee replied.

"So Raf, how were they?" Jack asked.

"They're really friendly, just like Bumblebee. One of them even promised me that we'd be sharpshooter partners!"

"I'm not sure if there is an arcade big enough for Bumblebee," Jack laughed.

"No, of course. He said he would take me to a battle against some Decepticons."

"What? Does Bumblebee know about this?"

"Not really."

"You should probably listen to him more than his clones," Jack suggested.

"Isn't this awesome?" Miko exclaimed as she spun around. "Now Bulkhead and I can really rock out!"

"Uh, yeah," Jack shivered. "Four Bulkheads and you. What more could you want?"

* * *

"Megatron will have my head," Flatline said miserably. He kicked an Arcee body hard and more Energon dripped from her mouth. Still not satisfied, he used a dead Bulkhead as a punchbag, denting the metal until his fists were heavily scratched. He stomped into the main lab and saw Starscream sprawled across the floor.

"The only option for us now is to beg our master for forgiveness," Flatline said. "We must alert him of our failure, assuming that he does not already know."

Starscream shot up like a bullet.

"No, no!" he panicked. "I have, uh, already contacted our lord. He reluctantly said that he would spare our souls if we successfully destroyed every clone that has escaped. Only then would, uh, our souls be spared."

"What are we standing here for?" Flatline asked, relieved of serving a merciful master. "We must obey his will."

Starscream was pleased of Flatline's foolishness. For a genius, he had the mind of a Scraplet.

"I am ready," he said darkly. He used the T-Cog he had stolen from a Vehicon to transform into jet mode, and he followed Flatline out to the road. They moved swiftly, ready for an opportunity to spill more Energon.

* * *

Bumblebee Six was the last Autobot in line. He sulked back to the others, a black roman numeral **VI** spray-painted on his right shoulder. He grumbled along with the team, and the kids sat in the middle of their complaining, giggling along with the originals.

"How come you guys didn't get numbers painted on you?" Bulkhead Three asked the original.

"We were here first," Bulkhead joked. "First come, first served I guess."

"I thought third gets a treasure chest," Arcee Three joined, trying to rub off the **III** on her right wing. "Not a bunch of black sticks."

Arcee and Jack chuckled with Raf and Bumblebee.

Bumblebee Four tried cleaning the paint off with motor oil, but it only left a big smudge over the number and he sighed hopelessly.

"Hold still," Arcee Five scolded Arcee Six. She positioned the tub of water Jack had filled over Six's number. Right at the moment she was about to pour it, Arcee Six tripped her and Five collided on the floor with a huge THUD.

"Why me?" she mumbled to herself. The base erupted in laughter and Miko even complimented Arcee Six.

"Wow, you're a lot funnier than Arcee!" Arcee gave a sharp look at Miko. "I bet you want to marry Bulkhead too!"

"Miko," Bulkhead Two interrupted, noticing Arcee's death stare. "Why don't we listen to some Slash Monkey?"

"Todes, Bulk Two!" Miko sprinted past Arcee and tagged along with Bulkhead's clone.

A moment of awkward silence passed by, but then Raf spoke.

"So..." he started. "What now?"

Bumblebee bleeped questioningly.

"I mean…what will happen now?"

"We'll crush the Cons," Arcee snorted. "Wasn't that always the plan?"

Ratchet Two spoke up for Raf. "You all have the sense of an Insecticon. He was asking if we'll finally end this cursed war."

"Oh. Well in that case, sure, as long as the Cons don't know our little secret," Bulkhead replied.

For some reason, everyone in the base felt that it would be a lot harder than that.

* * *

Orion Pax wept next to the waterfall, hidden from human sight.

"I'm sorry, Optimus Prime," he cried. "I-I just can't believe that my dearest friend and mentor was actually a monster in disguise."

"Do not be ashamed of revealing your emotions," Optimus soothed. "I still mourn the day Megatron and I became sworn enemies."

"Megatron –I keep forgetting that he changed his name."

"Megatron changed everything about himself, most importantly his beliefs and morals."

Orion stood up and wiped his tears away.

"I will help you extinguish the Decepticons. I swear with my entire Spark."

"I admire your tenacity," Optimus spoke. "But never allow revenge to be your reason. Remember, we are here to defend humankind. To save Earth from the same fate as Cybertron."

Orion Pax nodded, staring deeply into Optimus' optics.

"Let's roll," Optimus declared. The two trucks left the deserted waterfall and made their way back to the base. The skies slowly turned dark, but Optimus only saw the sun eventually rising.

**Don't worry, the journey WILL continue. In fact, I have plans to make the Clone Chronicles a complete season! Anyway, transform and roll out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here it is guys. Again, comments and/or criticism are welcome. Just post a review or PM me after you've read it cuz I NEED to know what people think bout it...Anyway, roll out.**

Episode 3: Newbie

It was like any other day for guard duty. The Energon illuminated the dark cave and the air was saturated with sounds of grinding and mining. Several sets of Decepticon drones lugged enormous blocks on their backs while the commander barked at them to move forward.

"Move!" a Vehicon commander bellowed, kicking a drone. "We must meet our quota for Megatron today."

"What's the rush?" the other complained. "It's not like the _Autobots _will stop us."

"Don't jinx our operation," the Vehicon scolded. "In fact, I sense that they are on their way right now."

"And what can they possibly do? We outnumber them 100:1."

"Just shut up and keep hauling!"

"The Autobots! They're here!" another Vehicon exclaimed from the back.

"Then shoot them!" the commander hissed back. "Or I'll use the Driller on you!"

"No!" the other whimpered as he scrambled down to his knees. "They have-"

An Energon blast coming from the back exploded his head into flaming pieces.

"My bad," Bulkhead Four said, his cannon sizzling.

"You should have thought before attacking us alone, Autobot," the commander grimaced. "Now you'll have to face _us_."

Two hundred Vehicons quickly lined up behind him, and pointed their cannons.

"He's not alone," Bulkhead bellowed as he dropped from the ceiling next to his clone. Bulkhead Two followed, and the three raised their clubs.

For once, the Decepticon warriors hesitated to attack. They only stared at the incredulous sight.

"What are you waiting for?" the commander shrieked frantically at the troops. "Finish them!"

The Vehicons unwillingly ran forward, and a quarter of them were easily dismantled by the Bulkheads.

"Is this all you got? 'Cause we'll be here all day!" Bulkhead Four shouted after smashing through the chest of another trooper. As each second passed by, the Autobots got closer to the Energon supply.

"Alert Megatron," the commander panicked to another Vehicon. He slipped and fell first, but managed to reach the communication kiosk. With shaky hands, he dialed the Decepticon warship.

Before he could get a response, an Energon blast demolished the screen.

"Bad idea," Arcee whispered harshly, her pistols pointed at him.

The Decepticon aimed his gun at her, but another blast burst through his chest.

"Autobots!" Optimus shouted. "Seize the mine and leave no witnesses!"

From behind, Arcee Three and Five somersaulted into the air and joined their original against several Vehicons. Arcee gave the opponents her trademark smirk, and flipped into the air using deadly stealth. With cunning speed, she and her clones quickly shot the drones' heads off and slashed incoming Drillers, the clones holding every one of Arcee's skills. Bumblebee Four and Six took down Decepticons with their cannons while the original and Five raided the supply. A dozen guards charged forward, and Bumblebee Five and the original leaped away from their blasts. They each grabbed onto a Vehicon's pair of arms and pushed their bodies down with supernatural strength. Next, they used the bodies as shields against the Vehicons' blasts and tossed them into the crowd. The three Bulkheads pounded ten Decepticons with their clubs and drove over them in truck mode. Their bumpers rammed into a group of troops, and tire marks stained the drones' dead bodies after the threesome pancaked them. In no time, the mighty army quickly dwindled to only twenty Vehicons.

The commander realized that they had lost and transformed to make his escape to the entrance of the cave. Scowling at his cowardice, Optimus swung a drone body at him, and shot him as his car mode was tossed in the air. He dodged a blast from behind and stabbed the three shooting drones with his sharpened sword. On the other side, the Bumblebees heaved stacks of Energon while Arcee and Arcee Three shot at anything coming at them. Ten hopeless troopers rushed towards the team, but were squashed under the Bulkheads' backsides as the green Autobots piled on top of them. Arcee Three delivered a roundhouse to two of the Vehicons shooting at Optimus, and Arcee shot down four others who were retreating in alt mode. Bumblebee swiftly dropped his Energon pile and beat his fist into four drones behind Bumblebee Five.

Bumblebee Five thanked his original and bleeped something to Bulkhead.

"I think that's it," he said, a little surprised at how quickly the assault had ended.

"Autobots!" Optimus yelled, an Energon grenade in his hand. "Gather the Energon and Bridge back to base!"

His team rapidly followed his order and hurried into the Bridge Ratchet Two had opened.

Optimus threw the grenade into the darkness and when it detonated, the giant mine shrank into rubble. By then, Optimus was safe in the portal, refusing to look at the explosion behind him. After so many centuries, the odds were finally on his team's side.

* * *

Ratchet and Ratchet Two stood with gaping mouths as four massive figures materialized within the Ground Bridge, three of them with giant upper bodies. Ratchet quickly pointed his blades at the silhouettes as a precaution, but lowered them when he recognized the Autobots. Optimus, Bumblebee, and Arcee each carried a tall stack of Energon cubes. Each of Bulkhead's and Bulkhead Two's enormous hands grasped a massive bundle of cubes. Trailing behind were Bumblebee Five and Six, their cannons hissing with smoke. Arcee Three and Five, along with Bulkhead Four, transformed into robot mode and walked through the Bridge. Both Ratchets stood dumbfounded as the robots built glowing towers of Energon.

"And I was actually worried that you'd be outnumbered," Ratchet commented, shaking his head.

"At this rate, we'll need another base just for storing Energon," Ratchet Two added. By the time the Autobots were finished stacking, the storage vault door was left wide open, with the blocks continuing beyond the doorway.

"We have an abundant surplus now," Optimus said. "But we still have to destroy the Decepticons' supply. I believe that we have a chance of destroying them from the inside."

"Works for me," Bulkhead stated. He cracked his knuckles loudly and pounded his fists together.

Bumblebee nodded slowly, narrowing his optics determinedly. Their clones readied their Energon cannons.

"I will fight with you," Orion announced after repairing one of the Ratchets' irons. He stood up and walked next to Optimus.

The confidence in the Autobots' optics was replaced with pure horror. Simultaneously, they ran behind Orion and made neck-slashing motions to Optimus. To emphasize the message, Arcee made pummeling motions next to Arcee Three's side, and Arcee Three's face expressed fake pain at each blow. After they finished their act, they both pointed at Orion Pax.

"Orion," Optimus sighed. "I am sorry, but you are not properly trained. I can still recall that before the Matrix was granted to me, I did not even know how to operate a weapon."

"My team was kind enough to teach me after we escaped Flatline's laboratory," Orion said proudly.

"Except you still don't know how to use a sword," Bulkhead groaned, shaking his head. "Which is pretty important if you happen to be Optimus."

"I will educate swordplay to you as best as I can," Optimus assured Orion. "However, since you are well-acquainted with my blasters, I will allow you to join me on our next mission."

"WHAT?" the team exclaimed out loud, the Bumblebees letting out identical high-pitched bleeps.

"What?" Orion gasped, smiling slightly. "You mean it?"

"You have made a courageous decision and _we all _will honor it," Optimus pronounced, looking over Orion's shoulder at the Autobots' flabbergasted faces.

"Why…Thank you, sir," Orion cried as he knelt down. "I promise that I won't let you down."

"At ease, soldier. You can call me Optimus instead of sir."

"Yes, Optimus Prime."

"Uh…Optimus?" Arcee spoke up. "Can we talk with you in private?"

Optimus excused himself to Orion and coolly walked over to the corner where the Autobots were gathered.

"Orion Pax must be offered a sporting chance to prove himself, as you all were given," Optimus stated flatly. "Did I answer your questions?"

"Optimus," Arcee said stubbornly. "He's a newbie. Newbies always die first."

"Every soldier begins as a "newbie", as you put it. Possibly, the only way for them to survive is if they rise above all doubt from the experienced. But they must be given the opportunity first."

Arcee began to protest, but looked away from his optics instead.

"You're right. I…We're not giving Orion a chance," Arcee sighed.

"I understand your fear of losing to the Decepticons again," Optimus comforted everyone. "I too feel uneasy of letting Orion Pax fight. But we must have faith in the unpredictable. For it is the only possibility of bringing about change."

Arcee nodded, and the team stared at Optimus' back as he walked away to consult with Orion.

* * *

An hour later, a mission was located. The Autobots, along with Orion, accelerated into the Ground Bridge Ratchet had reluctantly opened and entered a vast canyon.

"So…this is the mine you tried to raid two days ago?" Bulkhead asked, remembering Optimus' damaged body walking inside the Bridge.

"These are the coordinates, though my memory is not how it used to be," Optimus responded.

The Autobots transformed into robot mode. It was awkward at first to see Optimus and Orion standing next to each other. Although the only difference in their appearances was that Orion had a white stripe painted under the Autobot symbols on his shoulders, but it was clear that Optimus was the leader. Orion's optics expressed curiosity and innocence as he gazed intently at Optimus.

"Bumblebee," Optimus addressed to all six of them. "Cause a diversion so Arcee's and Bulkhead's teams can ransack their Energon supply. Orion and I will be in charge of exterminating the troopers."

Bumblebee Four bleeped a question.

"The Energon will be hidden until we are finished with our supply. I am not planning on storing it at base, Bumblebee. Only as long as it is away from the Decepticons' reach."

Bumblebee Four nodded and transformed along with the rest of his team. The yellow muscle cars curved around the corner, towards the Decepticons mining at the end of the canyon. Arcee and four of her clones triggered their pistols and dashed over to the Bumblebees. Two Bulkheads and the original trailed behind them, their Energon cannons in place of their hands.

"It is time, Orion," Optimus said, his faceplate activated. Orion followed suit and readied his rifle. He jogged around the corner, lagging a little behind Optimus.

* * *

The Vehicons immediately ceased their work and gawked at the six Bumblebees blaring their car alarms.

"Uh…c-commander?" a drone faltered. "Am I seeing a mirage?"

"Contact Megatron!" he screamed. He turned towards the workers.

"Squish those bugs!"

The drones stampeded with their blasters raised. The Bumblebees rapidly transformed and, dodging the drones' blasts, smashed their legs into the front rank troopers' torsos. The six scouts activated their pistols and melted painful holes into the Decepticons' blank faces.

The commander shivered slightly when he heard a drone cry out that the Autobots had more clone comrades. Fear locked in his spark, he transformed and drove past the battle and entered the Energon storage room, where the scream had been heard. He literally stopped in his tracks when he saw that the entire room was empty, except for five Arcees and three green trucks piled with Energon cubes.

His spark thumping furiously, he accelerated back to the battlefield, where the communication kiosk was inconveniently located.

"Con!" Arcee Two pointed. She, the original, and Arcee Six fired ruthlessly at the sleek purple sports car, but he managed to speed away from their shooting range.

"Scrap," Bulkhead Two groaned. He radioed the leader of the Autobots. "Bulkhead Two to Optimus, the commander just got away from us. He's on his way to squeal to Megatron!"

"Understood. Orion and I will intercept him," Optimus responded once he was finished decapitating a Vehicon.

He spun around and managed to dodge a long stick of Energon another Vehicon was using as a sword. In the middle of his spin, Optimus fired only one round with his blaster, and it roasted the drone's face. Next to his side, Orion tried to imitate Optimus' moves, but he got shot when his back was turned in his spin.

"If only the real Optimus was as weak as you," the Vehicon roared triumphantly. He placed his blaster right in front of Orion defenseless on the ground, but a blast shot his arm off. Before he even had time to register the pain, another blast went through his spark and his body collapsed.

"We must hurry," Optimus said in the distance, his rifle sizzling. The Autobot leader sprinted through the army closing in on him, all the while shooting them down at every stride he took. Orion followed him and once more tried to copy Optimus' fighting style. He clumsily missed his targets, for he was running too fast and unfocused. Frustrated at how unskilled he was, Orion transformed and ran over the Decepticons. He madly plowed his way through the masses and didn't even dare to slow down.

"Orion, it is time to prove yourself," Optimus said once they stopped. The commander was driving up to the communication kiosk about ten meters away, and he still hadn't seen Orion and Optimus. The rest of the Autobots skidded next to Optimus and transformed. All of them stared at Orion expectantly, and Orion nodded to Optimus.

* * *

"Commander Eleven to Base, do you read me? This is Commander Eleven to Base," the Vehicon sputtered into the microphone. He pounded his fists on the console impatiently, checking the area every millisecond.

Optimus and his team emerged at the stone arch. "Autobots! Stop his call!"

Before they could engage, the commander launched a grenade at the foot of the arch. Immediately after it detonated, the arch crumpled and the boulders blocked the path.

"That oughta take care of them," the commander muttered. He banged on the kiosk screen angrily. "Work you useless piece of metal!"

Suddenly, he heard a truck horn coming from above. Orion drove off of the ridge and transformed into the air. The commander let out a high-pitched shriek when he landed right next to him, and Orion's feet numbed because he forgot to brace his fall.

"Let's..end…this," Orion panted, wincing at the pain building in his legs.

The commander released a maniacal laugh.

"You're not Optimus. You're just his clone."

Orion closed his faceplate.

The commander chuckled once more and smashed open a glass case attached to the console. From it, he pulled out a long Cybertronian axe.

"I'm supposed to use this for cutting hard lines," he said as he polished the axe. "Not for tearing out Optimus' clone's spark."

"My name is Orion Pax," Orion glared. "And I discharge you from duty."

He snarled as he ran forward to stab the Decepticon. Swiftly, the commander dodged out of the way and raised the axe.

"So Prime's too lazy to teach you swordplay, huh?"

Orion turned his body around and darted forward again. Once more, the commander slid aside and his sword dug into the air. The commander pushed Orion down with the butt of his hammer. He chuckled lightly, clearly not hurrying.

"Aaarrgh!" Orion got up and ran with his sword over his head like an executioner. The commander twisted to the right and Orion sliced into the rocky side of the canyon. Irritated, he pulled his sword out and persistently swung at the commander, but his reflexes were impressive. Orion jabbed at him another time, a foolish move, and the commander hacked off the point of his sword. He cunningly swiped at Orion's midsection and blue Energon leaked out from the wound. Orion crouched down and groaned quietly as he pressed his hand over the cut.

"And let that be a lesson for you," the commander said. As if on cue, the screen of the kiosk projected Knockout's face.

"What is it?" the Decepticon scientist griped. He was joyfully buffing his paint job until he was interrupted by the call.

"The Autobots-"

"-Finish them."  
"I know! But there's too many-"

An Energon blast from Bumblebee Three wrecked the screen and the commander turned around anxiously. He shot rapidly through the dust cloud in front of the demolished arch, but the Autobots had driven away.

Orion watched as Optimus silently walked behind the commander and sliced his body in two. A puddle of Energon trickled over the pieces of the arch right after the body halves toppled to the ground. Orion looked down in shame when Optimus turned to face him.

"Orion…" he uttered, staring at him sadly. "I-"

"What was that?" Arcee shouted angrily. "You use a sword to _swipe_! Did you think it was a lance or an axe or something?"

Bumblebee bleeped in agreement.

"Why did you use a sword even when you were not trained with it?" Optimus questioned, ignoring the team's frustration.

"I just wanted to be more like you," Orion mumbled.

"Well, Megatron almost found out about us!" Bulkhead Three yelled indignantly. "You were this close to blowing the mission!"

He pinched his thumb and finger together, leaving a microscopic gap. Orion avoided Optimus' team's scowls and noticed a Vehicon hiding behind a Driller. The drone screeched at his glance and fled in jet mode.

"Stop him!" Optimus commanded. He and the rest of the Autobots shot ceaselessly at the drone's form, but he was beyond range. Determinedly, Orion grabbed the axe from the ground and transformed into truck mode. He rocketed forward to pursue the survivor.

Orion transformed when he was directly below the jet and raised the hammer. He twirled around swiftly and grunted as he let go of the handle.

It was a one in a million shot. The axe spiraled in front of the jet and split it into two pieces on impact. Orion triumphantly watched as the blazing heap shot down to the ground like a comet, and he glanced at the Autobots standing behind him only after the trail of smoke disappeared.

The whole team stared at the spot the jet had been and then at Orion, with wide optics and gaping mouths. Even Optimus stared in awe, but his faceplate hid his expression.

"Ratchet Two," he said after moments of silence. "Open a Ground Bridge."

A green portal materialized and the Autobots, still shaken from the event, slowly walked inside.

"Autobots," Optimus said. "Orion and I will stay behind for awhile."

The team nodded and carried the Energon spoils back to base.

Once they were gone, Optimus looked admirably at Orion.

"Optimus, I'm sorry for disobeying your orders," Orion spoke, shrinking at Optimus' stare.

"Please, I should be the one apologizing," Optimus said. Orion gazed at him confusedly.

"I now realize that you perform best when you stray from me. I will no longer push you to pursue the impossible, to be a Prime without the Matrix."

He paused and planned his next sentence.

"Orion, I want you to create your own identity."

"Come again?"

"I give you the right to go against my example. You are no longer me."

He pointed over to the horizon. "Find an alt mode that suits you and we will Bridge you back when you are done. I will present to you…a more appropriate weapon."

Orion flipped out his damaged sword and smiled bashfully at Optimus, and the Autobot leader nodded back. Relieved, Orion threw the sword piece on the ground and ran forward happily. Optimus beamed as Orion transformed and sped away to seek his destiny. Bending down, he picked up the abandoned sword and stared at the Cybertronian symbol embossed on the end. The symbol said "Prime".

"He is free now," Optimus exhaled gently, closing his optics.

* * *

The message went blank and Knockout shook his head, trying to digest what he had just heard.

_"But there's too many_," Commander Eleven had said. Knockout shuddered. If the Autobots had grown to the point of overpowering the Decepticons, they were in deep scrap.

He ran out of the lab to alert Megatron. Surprisingly, the feared leader only laughed at the news.

"Optimus is finally stepping up his game," he said gladly. He paced around the ship, and Knockout stared at him uncomfortably.

"We will fight fire with fire," Megatron announced. He moved up towards Knockout. "Notify all Decepticons around the globe. Tell them to rendezvous here immediately. That's an order. The next time one of Optimus' warriors step out of line, we will be there first."

Knockout quickly exited the room, leaving Megatron alone.

"Well played, Prime," he cackled. "But I have already won."

* * *

The Autobots watched excitedly as Ratchet finally opened the Ground Bridge. A white and blue sleek semi truck rolled into the base and transformed. Orion was still identical to Optimus' form, but his chest was now white and had different parts from Optimus. His leg armor and helmet were still blue like the original but a lighter shade.

"I hate to admit it Orion, but you got style," Bulkhead Two commented.

Bumblebee Four bleeped questioningly, and Arcee shook her head at his foolishness.

"No, Orion didn't just scan a new mode because he felt like it. Remember? Optimus told him that he had to make his own identity…Weren't you listening when he got back?"

He bleeped back and Arcee face palmed herself.

"Figures," she sighed.

"Orion," Optimus appeared. He had an object hidden behind his back. "I am honored to say that you have earned this."

He pulled out a magnificent hammer and handed it to Orion. Orion's optics ogled at the glowing symbols imprinted on the sides of the hammer and rubbed his hands over the Autobot symbol at the center of the block. The long handle touched the ground as he was standing, but with a push of a button, it shrank so the hammer could be thrown easily. With great might, he threw the hammer across the room and was pleased when it spun back to him.

"The Magnus Hammer," he finally spoke, recalling Optimus' memories of researching it on Cybertron. "But how?"

"I stole it back from the Decepticons eons ago when we raided Kaon. I kept it hidden, for my sword is the only weapon a Prime can wield. Now I have found someone worthy."

Orion glanced once more at the hammer, still astonished. He turned towards the Autobots.

"Welcome to the team, Orion," Arcee said proudly.

"No," Optimus declared, putting his hand on his clone's shoulder. "His name is Ultra Magnus."

**Dun, dun, dun! That's right, your dreams have come true (hopefully)! PM me or send me a review, please! Episode 4 is in progress and I'll get it up ASAP. Also, I have some character designs (one right now but there WILL be more) on devianart, check it out if u can:**

**Transformers Prime Flatline Tanker Mode  
**


	4. Chapter 4

Episode 4: Busted

The whole Autobot base came to life once the kids were dropped off. Miko folded her English test into a paper airplane and flung it at the ceiling, where it got caught on top of the lights. She twirled and back flipped over to Bulkhead Four and chatted with him about how boring school was. Raf and Bumblebee Five and Three watched an _America's Funniest Home Videos_ episode, guffawing uncontrollably. Only Jack remained silent, reading silently on a desk near the corner of the base. He paid no attention to the words, only that it was impossible for anyone to talk to him. Or so he thought.

"Gosh, it's a beautiful day outside," Arcee Two commented as she walked over. "Perfect for, oh I don't know, a _drive_ perhaps."

"No thanks," Jack muttered without looking up.

"We can make doughnuts around police cars again," she suggested. "You loved that."

"Uh-uh."

Arcee Two bit her lip nervously, searching for ideas.

"I got it! Let's wrap Bulkhead around with toilet paper! Remember his face when he woke up?"

"Nah."

She leaned down and looked over his shoulder curiously.

"You want me to quiz you for that chemistry test?"

"It's history," Jack sighed. He finally faced her.

"And why do you care?" he snapped.

"I'm your guardian, Jack Darby, and I'm not digging your attitude," Arcee Two said sharply.

"No you're not. Arcee is. The _first _Arcee."

"Jack, you don't understand. I am her."

"No, you're _like_ her."

Arcee Two froze. Her Energon heated to a boil, but she allowed herself to calm down.

"Look, I know much has changed in such a short time. You have made a strong friendship with Arcee. I can remember how it was, even though I never experienced it. It's painful to have memories that aren't yours," she paused, catching her breath. "I guess all I want is for you to give me a chance. Like you did for her."

"I-I'm sorry. But I can't," Jack replied, looking down at his shoes. Arcee Two's optics slowly narrowed.

"Fine," she scowled. "I guess I'm not that special after all."

She retreated to the other side of the base, arms crossed over her chest. She slumped in between Bulkhead Three and Bumblebee Five, watching enviously as they played with Raf and Miko. For half an hour, the entire room sparkled with energy, except in Arcee Two's and Jack's dark corners.

* * *

Ratchet Two opened the Ground Bridge and the rest of the Autobots entered the base, all of them looking quite pleased with themselves.

The Bumblebees bleeped excitedly about their surprise attack on the Driller operators, making punching motions in the air. Bulkhead Two and Three joked about how stupid the commander was, and Bulkhead nearly collapsed laughing after hearing their story of the drones' rear ends catching on fire.

"I'm assuming that the mission was successful?" Ratchet asked Optimus and Ultra Magnus. They each nodded gratefully, Magnus a tad more happily.

"Good job girls," Arcee praised her squadron, transforming her pistol back into a hand. "Never seen Cons blow up so fast."

"Talk with your boyfriend," Arcee Two said bitterly as she passed by her.

Arcee looked towards Jack, and he turned his head around after spying on them. She sighed as she shook her head and approached the desk.

"I heard that you've been a hassle today." Arcee remarked, arms crossed.

"But she shouldn't have tried talking to me," Jack defended. "She just walked over here and pretended that she was you. Then she kept naming off all of the things we did, as if she was there."

"In some ways, she has a right to. How would you feel if you couldn't have your own life? I don't blame her for trying to make her own memories."

"It's just weird, that's all."

Arcee sighed. "Well, Arcee Four's taking my shift. You wanna go for a drive?"

Jack's eyes lit up eagerly. "Right now?"

"I gotta take a decontamination bath first, silly. But I'll be ready in a minute."

Jack watched Arcee as she walked away, and he slammed his helmet on top of his history book.

* * *

The hidden passageway on the mountain opened and Arcee wheelied out to the road, tumbleweeds fleeing from her deadly speed.

"Yeah!" Jack yelled, bending his head back. Arcee giggled and slammed her tire on the road, and Jack's body was thrown forward.

"Whoa, easy!" Jack said while straightening his helmet. Arcee giggled more in vehicle mode.

"So how was your day?" Arcee asked randomly.

"Uh, fine I guess," Jack replied, a little off guard.

"Nothing wrong? That's a first."

Jack thought about it. "Actually, the only thing that's bothering me is your new buddies."

"Jack, they just want to get to know you better. I actually think they're jealous of us hanging out and want a chance too."

"That's exactly what Arcee Two told me," Jack sighed.

"She's me, so she's right," Arcee responded. "Watch, by the end of the day, you'll be okay with them."

"It's worth hoping." He stared at the landscape surrounding them. The sun shone through a blanket of fluffy cumulus clouds. The cacti on the sides of the road radiated with green and their flowers displayed flamboyant shades of pink, yellow, and white. The mountains cast a shadow on the road, but in a peaceful manner like trees casting shade. Jack inhaled a refreshing lungful of air and let it out slowly.

"I like Jasper," he started. "I mean, it may be a nowheresville but you can take a long drive here and just enjoy the ride."

Arcee remained silent.

"What? Let me guess, you're laughing at me."

"You never told me that you liked quiet drives," she said softly.

"Don't you?"

"Yeah…but they're best when the wind hits your face just right."

She accelerated, and the two zoomed across the desolated road, the whole world to themselves.

* * *

Starscream cackled in jet mode. _Wrong way_, he said to himself.

"Flatline! Arcee is coming towards your position."

A red tanker truck drove off from an abandoned gas station and blocked the road. Arcee's brakes automatically triggered, and she slid to a stop before impact.

"Hey, you're blocking the road!" Jack yelled. Then he noticed that the cab was empty…

Flatline transformed and raised his gigantic arm to smash the motorcycle. Arcee drove out of the way and transformed, and she gently set Jack down next to the gas station.

"Flatline," she glared. "What do you want with Jack?"

"Starscream can take care of him," he said. "All I want is your torn out spark."

He spoke while reaching behind his back for his cannon. He readied it, and the cannon began to absorb molecules for ammo.

"Then come and get it," Arcee whispered. She dodged his powerful blast and circled around to his back. Angrily, she shot bursts of Energon at his back, and the brute collapsed at the blows. He wrenched his body around and fired another round at Arcee, and she was thrown back thirty feet.

"Arcee!" Jack yelled. He ran to go up to her, but Starscream landed right in front of him, his red optics glowing brightly.

"Sweet dreams, boy," he smiled darkly, aiming his missile at him.

"No!" Arcee sprinted into him and smashed her fist into his face while he was helplessly splayed on the floor

"Bah!" he choked, Energon bleeding from his mouth. Arcee put her pistol up to his face, but Flatline clutched onto her wing and tossed her like a ragdoll into a stop sign on the corner.

"Where are your clones?" Flatline boomed, noticing that Arcee did not have a number. "I'll spare your sorry life if you tell me."

"_Ahhrrrgh!_" She broke the sign at the middle of the pole and swung it at Flatline's chest like a lethal baseball bat. She managed to make a small dent into his abdomen, but Flatline ripped the sign out of her hands and brutally pushed her down next to Jack.

"Such a shame, killing the original," Starscream said as he transformed his hand into a cannon.

"Arcee!" Jack snatched a small stone from the ground and tossed it up at Starscream's head with pinpoint accuracy. The sharp rock dug into Starscream's cheek, and a small spurt of Energon tricked down his jawline.

Starscream winced at the pain for a second, and turned his head sharply at Jack. His pale face shook with hatred.

"_YOU DARE INSULT_-"

Flatline suddenly collapsed to the ground, and Starscream lost his balance.

"Flatline!" he hissed back. "Warn me that you'll fall unconscious next time!"

A small magnetic disc clasped onto his chest and electricity shocked his entire body. The skinny Decepticon fell down next to Arcee, and in a few seconds a huge shadow cloaked the entire gas station.

Jack hesitantly raised his head, and witnessed the Decepticon warship itself above him. A shaft on its underside opened, and the ex-Decepticons' bodies were elevated by rings of light. Jack caught sight of another shaft above him, and more rings enveloped Arcee.

"No!" Jack desperately grabbed Arcee's wing as she was raised, but his arm weakened and he plopped back on the road.

He watched miserably as the shafts sealed and the warship ascended into the nothingness of the clouds. Instantly, Jack reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out his black Razr.

* * *

"Miko's Doughnut Ball and Monster drink Museum."

"Miko!" Jack said urgently. "Put Ratchet on the line!"

"Which one? They both hate Earth tech-"

"JUST DO IT!"

"Ratch! Jack needs help!" Miko screamed, after hearing Jack's tone. They looked stunned at first, since they had never seen Miko so afraid. Ratchet jogged over to her side and awkwardly positioned his mouth over the phone she held up.

"Jack, Jack what is it?"

"TheconstookArcee!"

"What? She's on a mission right now!"

"We went for a drive! I saw them take her!"

Ratchet checked the screen on his arm. His spark numbed.

"Jack, my readings say that Energon has been spilled a few miles from you! And it's coming from _Arcee Two_!"

Time stopped for Jack. He moved his phone midway from his ear

"Jack, backup is on their way. I will send a Ground Bridge for you."

"No," Jack said. "I need to save her too."

A Ground Bridge opened and an ambulance emerged in front of Jack.

"You're not going alone," Ratchet Two said in vehicle mode. Jack got inside the passenger seat and Ratchet Two sped off.

* * *

Arcee Two stared at the scrubbed spot where the **II **had been, paying no attention to the Energon dripping from her right cheek. She flailed her body around vigorously, but the cuffs holding her arms up were unbreakable. Transforming was out of the question.

A cold shiver ran down her back when the door opened and Megatron entered the room, Dreadwing at his side.

"My lord, I ask you why did you switch off the cloaking technology?" Dreadwing asked. "We're leaking a trail."

"No, I believe our guest is," Megatron replied, gazing at Arcee Two. "And when her…new teammates stage a rescue, they will be making their own trails as well."

After he said his sentence, the room lit up and revealed hundreds of Vehicons positioned around the room. All of their cannons aimed at Arcee Two.

"What shall I do with the scientist and Starscream, my lord?" Dreadwind continued, staring in awe at the number of guards.

"I will deal with them later," Megatron growled, recalling his treacherous second-in-command. "I sense that their confrontation with Arcee was not just a coincidence."

"I'm right here you know!" Arcee Two shouted angrily, her body dangling.

"My lord!" a drone panicked as he dashed into the room. "I'm detecting twelve incoming Energon signatures!"

Megatron smiled back at Arcee Two and followed the drone out of the room without another word.

"Destroy all of the Autobots," Dreadwing shouted to the hidden drones. "But save Prime for Megatron."

He coolly strode out of the room, and the lights powered down.

"I'm sorry, Jack," Arcee Two said as she helplessly looked up at the multitude of glowing rifle barrels surrounding the room, like an ominous blanket of stars.

* * *

"Autobots, roll out!" Optimus thundered. The five Arcees, two Bumblebees, two Bulkheads, and Orion Pax transformed and zoomed after Optimus over the cliff of the mountain.

"Maxmum Overdrive!" the Autobot leader yelled in truck mode. His team pressed on their gas pedals and shot down to the _Nemesis_ like comets.

"AUTOBOTS!" a guard warned his comrades. A squadron immediately assembled on top of the vessel.

The roof-mounted Energon lasers swiveled around and shot beams of purple at the intruders. Ultra Magnus transformed in the air and hurled the Magnus Hammer at a laser. The powerful hammer tore through the double barrels like a wrecking ball and spun back to its owner similar to a boomerang. Bumblebee and Bumblebee Five's pistols shot blasts of Energon through the chests of drones climbing up to the roof, and the bodies toppled over the reinforcements like dominoes.

With Arcee Six and Three at each side, Arcee's motorcycle mode landed on the vessel and she rammed into a rank of Vehicons. Arcee Six and Three somersaulted as they transformed, and they unleashed intense bursts of Energon at the laser cannons. Bulkhead and Bulkhead Three skidded on the roof and they transformed when their truck modes collided against an overpowered drone. They beat their maces deep into the drones' heads as their backs dropped to the ground, and pummeled a Vehicon's hood down when he tried to escape. Shots fired from Optimus' and Magnus' blasters cleared an incoming army of Vehicons, and Optimus easily slashed the laser barrels with his sword.

"Go, we'll cover you," Optimus yelled over to Arcee. She nodded back and ran into the gaping entrance of the ship, Arcee Four and Five following close behind.

* * *

"Lord Megatron!" a drone stumbled up to his master. "We have a breach!"

The Decepticon tyrant activated his arm-mounted cannon, a hungry smirk wrapped around his face.

In the distance, a Vehicon's cry for help sounded, and it was interrupted by the _thump_ of a body collapsing. The drone whimpered and broke into a run, but Megatron seized his neck.

"You coward!" he grimaced. "What has made the Autobots so threatening now?"

"Over here, Fathead," Ratchet Two said in ambulance mode a few meters away. He drove off, and the livid Megatron and several Vehicons dashed after him.

Jack held his breath as the Decepticons ran past his hiding spot, and released it only when he was sure they were gone. He peeked at the entrance to Arcee Two's cell, and realized that two drones were about to enter.

_It's now or never_, he thought. Suddenly, he found himself frantically sprinting over to his ticket inside. Miraculously, in only twenty seconds, he ran almost a mile and stealthily took cover behind one of the drones' legs. At the last second, the door slid down into the floor and Jack scaled up on the drone as he headed inside.

"False alarm," he uttered when his comrades pointed their guns at him. Jack climbed up to his upper leg and snatched the small card attached to his hip.

"This is stupid," a Vehicon complained. "Where are the Bots? We've been standing like this for two hours already!"

"They'll come," Jack's Vehicon moaned. "And we'll kill their newbies, snuff the girl's spark, boo hoo, and then Master will take care of Prime."

The drones above chatted agreeably and failed to notice Jack leaping from the drone's back and onto the metal arch with Arcee Two cuffed inside.

She heard the faint landing and stared up thunderstruck at Jack.

"Hey," he mouthed. Arcee Two gently smiled back.

"What are _you_ so happy about?" the drone noticed. Arcee Two flashed a mischievous smile at him, and his optic caught the tiny fleshling jamming the key into the last cuff.

"THE HUMAN! DESTROY-"

With one blast from her pistol, Arcee Two shot him in the head and transformed. The guards above shot recklessly down at the blue and pink motorcycle. The blasts hurled down like a volley of arrows, but Arcee Two and Jack were too agile. As if the whole world had gone in slow-motion, Jack mounted on Arcee Two and she raced forward, the bursts hairs away from the two of them. They outran the blasts and sped out of the cell, Arcee Two driving like a madman.

* * *

Megatron and his troopers kept shooting at the helpless ambulance, but it kept annoyingly turning into the corners.

"Hold still!" Megatron exploded. He followed the troopers around the corner and dodged out of the way when the front ranks were shot down.

It was rare to see Megatron so astounded. His burning optics expanded and his jaw partially dropped.

"Megatron," Optimus spoke gravely, his blaster out. Ultra Magnus stood behind him with the fabled Magnus Hammer, wielding it with both hands. Arcee and her clones scowled with their pistols drawn and the Bumblebees had their cannons ready. Ratchet Two held out his surgical blades and the two Bulkheads stood at the back of the line, arms crossed with cannons for hands.

"How?" Megatron asked, more to himself.

"Free Arcee Two!" Optimus shouted. "Or we will use deadly force."

Megatron returned to his old self.

"The Autobots have expanded," he started. "But they're still no match against the Decepticons!"

His saber was released over his claw, and he bellowed as he swung it at Optimus. The Autobot leader's reflexes initiated, and he blocked Megatron with his sword. The two exchanged blow after blow, while the Autobots took down any Vehicons that dared to interfere.

Optimus stopped Megatron's strike once more, glaring into Megatron's optics. The fiend smiled maliciously, and Optimus' optics widened. Megatron socked his opponent under the chin while he was distracted, and Optimus crashed onto the floor. Megatron stepped towards him, his saber positioned over his head. He stopped in mid-swing when he heard a _whoosh_, and he looked up too late. The Magnus Hammer collided into his frightening maw, and he lost focus for a second. By the time he recovered, a shower of Energon blasts rammed his body and he felt his legs give way. The Autobots watched contemptuously as his helm banged firmly on the wall of the ship, and Megatron finally shut his optics.

"Good riddance," Ratchet said sourly after the Autobots ceased their fire.

"Let's finish him!" Bulkhead bellowed, raising his mace. Several shots were heard way off, and Arcee Two emerged with Jack.

"The Cons are onto us," she shouted to the team. "We have to Bridge back!"

Ratchet contacted Bumblebee Two, and a Ground Bridge opened. The two Bulkheads and Bumblebee Five hauled Optimus into the portal and the rest of the Autobots jumped inside. Arcee Two dodged another Energon blast from behind her and darted inside right before it closed.

Dozens of drones stopped at where the Ground Bridge had been and gasped at the sight of their defeated master.

"Lord Megatron!" one of them yelped. "What happened?"

Megatron's optics narrowed.

"This." He stabbed the drone through his spark chamber and rapidly annihilated all of the witnesses to his humility. The drones' bodies crackling beneath his feet, Megatron stomped over them to the prison sector of the ship. _Starscream and Flatline have some serious explaining to do_, he growled to himself.

* * *

Back at the base, the Autobots and kids encircled Arcee Two and Jack, listening intently.

"So…it was all a set up?" Jack addressed Arcee.

She nodded.

"It was meant to be a surprise. I knew that if Arcee Two scrubbed off her number, you would take a drive with her. Then, at the end of the day, you would find out that my clones are no different from me."

Jack glanced at Arcee Two and looked down.

"I-I'm sorry. Really I am. I was stupid. I should've been nice to you from the start."

"S'okay partner," Arcee Two grinned. "It was a fun drive."

"The Cons know about you guys because of me!" Jack shouted, outraged at himself. "The secret is out there!" He shut his eyes and pushed a hand through his hair.

Optimus spoke up. "It was inevitable. Yes, I am disappointed that Megatron now has the knowledge of our new comrades, but I am also proud that you have learned to trust Arcee's clones."

"In only one day too!" Arcee smirked. "It took us months to be friends."

Jack chuckled lightly, and then his frown returned.

"If it will make you feel less guilty, I have a job for you," Ratchet commented.

Jack raised his head eagerly. Ratchet threw a mop and bucket at him, and filled the bucket with black paint.

"Let's hope there won't be another mix-up again," he said, and he pointed at Arcee Two's blank wing.

Determined, Jack walked toward Arcee Two with the mop and bucket. The Autobots and kids watched him and Optimus nodded in approval.

**The adventure continues in Episode 5...stay tuned and prepare yourself for the ride! Roll out =)  
**


	5. Chapter 5

Episode 5: Inside Job

Starscream's optics slowly cracked open, and he shrieked at the sight of his face.

"I would love to kill you," Megatron snarled, his deadly saber centimeters away from his ex-commander's neck. "But we have delicate work to attend to."

His spark burning uncontrollably, Starscream attempted to transform, but his limbs were cuffed tightly. A collar placed around his neck sent a surge of Energon up to his brain, and he screamed at the pain.

"I know you too well," Megatron laughed coldly. "The pathetic coward that you are."

Starscream looked over to his side, and noticed Flatline trapped next to him. Megatron didn't even bother putting a collar around him or cuffing his legs down.

"Master," Flatline spoke once he woke up. "Pardon me for questioning, but have you changed your mind about the task assigned to us?"

Starscream's spark froze, and his body turned rigid like rock.

"What task?" Megatron snarled, shooting a glance a Starscream. His stare seemed to melt right through Starscream's metal.

"Your humble servant and I will eliminate all of the runaway Autobot clones we had failed on your previous order."

"I never issued an order for clone Autobots! And when was Starscream my humble servant?"

He glanced back at the terrified Starscream. All of a sudden, everything clicked into place.

"So, you have finally found someone mindless enough to carry out your dim-witted schemes!" Megatron roared, trying to suppress his laughter. "I am not at all surprised that it was as successful as your attempt to terminate me."

He was delighted when he saw Flatline's optics widen in horror at Starscream.

"Flatline, you were foolishly misinformed by this wretch," Megatron accused him, without a trace of sympathy in his voice. "But now that you know the truth, you serve me now."

"Yes, my lord," Flatline bowed, thankful that Megatron had ignored his betrayal.

"Do not take this as an act of mercy," Megatron threatened. "I am sparing your life simply because I will have much enjoyment ending Starscream's."

"Acknowledged," Flatline replied. "I hope that traitor will dearly regret ever being brought from the AllSpark."

Megatron ordered the drones to release him, and Flatline exited the room.

"For eons I have waited for this," Megatron turned towards Starscream helplessly restrained. Hatred locked in his optics, he raised his saber.

"Wait-wait!" Starscream choked up. "I have valuable intel!"

"Nothing you have is valuable to me," Megatron rumbled.

"The AllSpark! I know where a shard is, ready for the taking!"

Megatron paused, but refused to lower his saber.

"Tell me," he uttered.

"Flatline knows the coordinates. He uses it to make clones!"

Everything started to make sense. It was like all of the scattered pieces in Megatron's mind transformed into the final picture. His saber went back into his arm, and he turned towards the guards.

"Lock him up. Solitary confinement."

"_What? No, please no! Anything but that! Please, I beg of you!_"

Megatron swiftly exited the room, paying no attention to Starscream's pleas as he was carried to his cell. He caught up with Flatline walking towards a Ground Bridge generator on the vessel.

"My lord, did you enjoy terminating Starscream?" Flatline asked.

"He is imprisoned now, after he offered me some vital information."

Flatline nodded understandingly.

"I have a task for you," Megatron announced.

"Your servant is listening."

Megatron smirked.

"Take me to the shard."

Flatline's T-Cog churned and his optics exploded in horror.

"But master, it's suicide! This is all Starscream's plot to extinguish you spark! The raw power will kill you!"

"I never said that I was the one unlocking its information."

Flatline realized his plan and bowed.

"I am willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, master."

"No, you bumbling simpleton! Only I can access the information I require!" He recalled reading the legend of Narrus. The warrior's life ended along with his servant when the servant revealed the secret he had requested from the AllSpark. Only one could obtain the information, and he would die along with the secret.

"How will you find the answer you seek then, Lord Megatron?"

The Decepticon leader told Flatline his twisted strategy to outwit the shard.

* * *

Megatron's systems powered up and his nightmarish optics lit bright red within his helm. Immediately, he realized that he had been transported from the ship. He was lying in a crudely-built laboratory with a multitude of clone vats and prototype weapons. Shattered glass littered the floor, and small pools of Energon were gathered around the room.

"Soundwave!" Megatron shouted to the silent Decepticon standing over his bed. "I demand to know where I've been taken!"

"There is no need to worry, my master," Flatline emerged into the room. "This is my laboratory."

"Take me back to the _Nemesis_!" Megatron snarled. "I have no interest in your scummy shelter!"

"You request the AllSpark shard, do you not? To discover your fate?"

Megatron paused, recollecting his memories.

"Of course I do! Flatline, deliver me to the shard this instant!"

"Yes, master," Flatline obeyed. Megatron stepped off of the bed and trailed closely behind the scientist. Soundwave followed last, staring at Megatron's back.

They reached the SpaceBridge generator, and Flatline entered the previous coordinates. In mere seconds, a bright green portal formed inside and the three Decepticons entered, Megatron overtaking Flatline's lead.

Megatron put one monstrous foot on the shard's surface, and its magnificent power instantly coursed through his body and into his veins. He sighed at full volume, closing his optics and taking in the energy.

Flatline and Soundwave watched patiently, anticipating his next move. The next moment, Megatron finally bellowed the telltale chant.

"O Spark!" he shouted in Cybertronian. "I seek the destiny wrongfully concealed from me!"

The shard began to quake violently under his feet and its ancient inscriptions ignited into a brilliant green. A blinding golden halo enveloped Megatron's body, and he released a victorious roar. Dramatically, he kneeled down and positioned his claws on the glowing surface of the shard. He let out another mighty shout, his optics saturated with the golden light.

Soundwave commenced the plan with cold swiftness. The Decepticon unraveled a long and narrow coil with glowing purple accents, and he plugged one end to the back of Megatron's head while he was distracted. Once he had done so, he flung the other end of the cordical psychic patch to Flatline.

From the shadows, a dark figure materialized like a ghost. He soundlessly walked up to the hallucinating Megatron, wearing a constant grim expression. His nightmarish optics lit bright red within his helm.

The real Megatron nodded at his followers to proceed his scheme.

Flatline attached the remaining end to the back of the real Megatron's head, and Soundwave's face-screen switched into a video recorder.

"We have your visual," Flatline said to Megatron. "When your clone is killed, we'll make sure that your mind will return to your body."

"If you fail, I will come back and get revenge," Megatron menaced. "In the next life."

"I understand, my master."

Megatron looked suspiciously at Flatline for a second, but then closed his optics.

Flatline stared uncomfortably at the two Megatrons before him. Megatron had conceitedly positioned himself so that his clone bowed before him.

* * *

Smoke gathered nearby the ground and Megatron materialized within the cloud as rapidly as a bolt of lightning. He surveyed his destination and recognized that it was Kaon, the Decepticon capital. The dry ground he stood on was made of dark red Cybertronian rock. The massive gray buildings surrounding him released thick fumes into the humid air, shining coldly in the dark night.

Megatron caught sight of his clone walking towards a light in the distance. For an experiment, he stroked his claws across the buildings and was delighted when they passed through like a hologram. He remembered that when the annoying scout entered his own mind, he was indestructible because he wasn't part of the illusion. Stealthily, he ran into the shadows of the buildings' walls and emerged at the back of a gigantic crowd. He picked out faces of Decepticons, and realized that the entire crowd was his followers.

"Decepticons, begin our assault!" he heard his own voice cry out.

Megatron looked forward and saw a young version of him standing in front of the Decepticons, Soundwave at his side. From what he could see, the Megatron in front of the crowd was too skinny and small for a ruthless tyrant. He almost resembled a bulkier relative to Soundwave, who still appeared the same. Megatron turned his head around and spotted the other Megatron staring at his young self a couple yards away at the side. As a precaution, Megatron slid inside the crowd of Decepticons and flowed through them to get to the front ranks of troops.

He now had a clear picture now of his young self. The younger Megatron opened a portal inside a crudely-built Ground Bridge generator. The green light poured over the army and they charged forward, yelling out war cries. Megatron watched his young self scowling triumphantly as the Decepticons stampeded into the portal, finally recalling the battle that he was witnessing. It was one of his first invasions: Operation Iacon. He began to recall every detail of the operation, including its despicable outcome.

He saw his clone go after the Decepticons entering the portal, and knew that he had his memories of Operation Iacon as well.

"C'mon, Bucketbrain, we need to go before it closes," a young husky version of Breakdown scolded a skinny Knockout polishing his saw blade. Breakdown pushed Knockout forward and they headed towards the Ground Bridge. Quickly, Megatron took cover behind Breakdown, and the three of them entered the giant portal.

* * *

Iacon was just as Megatron remembered it. Hexagons decorated on the metal ground like a honeycomb pulsed AllSpark blue and the shiny buildings reflected bright light shone by the stars. A monstrous fortress was perched on a mesa a few clicks away, and Megatron saw the Decepticon army approach the structure with their cannons pointed out.

"The AllSpark Citadel," Megatron commented to himself. He prepared to dash to the front ranks of the army until he caught sight of his clone's Cyberonian jet mode. He had split from the invasion and was following a radiant white diamond leading to the side of the Citadel. Megatron transformed and pursued him, soundlessly as if he were a predator stalking his prey.

The diamond next to the back wall of the building, and some of the metal blocks transformed out of the way into a secret passageway. The other Megatron landed at the entrance and followed the diamond through the gap in the wall. As soon as he had done so, the blocks precisely shifted back into place. However, it failed to terminate Megatron's stubbornness to learn the secret. He transformed at the spot his clone had been and walked through the back wall. He nudged his head through the door his clone had taken and gazed at the impressive sight of the AllSpark Chamber.

In the middle of the room was a blast-proof case that housed the gargantuan Cube. The four hundred-foot Cube was a hair from touching the towering ceiling, and it was so wide that all of the Cybertronians could've easily taken cover under it. Its symbols glowed with a rich blue and the vessel rotated slowly in midair. A platoon of Autobots guarded each side of the Cube, in case anyone attempted to steal its infinite knowledge.

Megatron watched his clone carefully and was pleased that he looked as confused as he was. How did the Citadel relate to his fate? Just then a red and blue Cybertronian truck skidded into the Chamber, an orange and white vehicle at his side. The two transformed and the young Optimus walked determinedly towards the AllSpark.

"But Optimus, no!" a more athletic version of Ratchet pleaded to his leader. "Just imagine Sentinel Prime's fury when he finds out!"

"It is our only option, Ratchet," Optimus replied. "It's either that or Megatron finally gets his oily claws on the Spark's power."

"He will be dead if he tries to seize it," Ratchet assured. "Please, you don't have to do this."

"It is our only option," Optimus repeated.

"Why can't you sacrifice the Omega Key instead? Then we could end this mess altogether."

Optimus paused. "Believe me, I want the Key to be destroyed as much as you do, but it is impossible to launch it far from Megatron's grasp. We have to split the lock from the key."

Hundreds of explosions shook the room, and Optimus and Ratchet lost their balance.

"Megatron," Optimus spat to Ratchet as Energon blasts sounded in the distance. "We must act quickly."

The two transformed and drove to their positions. The guards tried to stop Optimus, but quickly understood that his plan was their only hope of stopping Megatron. They reluctantly left the AllSpark to Optimus, and didn't bother pushing Ratchet away when he tugged down on a switch that opened the ceiling.

"It's ready, Optimus!" he signaled. The Autobot leader entered a code into the base of the AllSpark and the case faded away.

"It's an itsy bitsy universe after all." Megatron and his clone turned their heads around and saw the young version of themselves standing at the collapsed entrance of the Chamber, his fusion cannon pointed at Optimus' back.

"Now, get out of my way!" the young Megatron yelled as he activated his cannon. A powerful burst of Energon emitted from the barrel, and it was hurled at the speed of light towards Optimus. In the blink of an eye, Optimus raised his mighty sword in front of his mouth plate and it sliced through the deadly blast.

"Urrrgh!" Megatron charged at his opponent and socked him hard in the abdomen, and Optimus' body collapsed onto the ground.

"You're so weak," Megatron laughed victoriously as he walked over to him, his blade flipped out over his claw.

"No!" Ratchet made a desperate run at Megatron, but an Energon pulse from his cannon sent him flying back to the control panel.

Optimus seized the opportunity and, with the last bit of his strength, activated the eject button on the base the Cube was suspended over. Instantly, a blinding beam of light erupted from the base and shot up out of the hole in the ceiling and into the distant stars. The Spark vanished along with it.

"You mindless imbecile!" the young Megatron roared at Optimus. He transformed into jet mode and recklessly blasted after the Spark, desperate to obtain unlimited power. Megatron and his clone knew that he would chase after the Cube's fragments for half a century, until they became out of reach.

_But what does this mean?_ Megatron questioned himself.

Suddenly, the scene shifted. Both Decepticon leaders stood in an underground vault, with a group of Autobot Council members standing around a case that housed a magnificent decorated key. Ancient Cybertronian symbols were imprinted on its sides and iridescent colors constantly flowed through it like a river.

"Optimus Prime commanded us to leave the Omega Key here to be destroyed along with Cybertron, however doubtful that situation may be," a leader started in a mocking tone. "He selfishly never considered saving such divine knowledge. I say that we defy his authority only once and save the Key from permanent destruction."

He paused dramatically. "We shall transform the key into relics and smuggle them out of Cybertron during its final years."

He stretched out his hand and a hologram appeared.

"After several centuries, after the planet has evacuated, we will return and build a new Spark. We will merge the Iacon relics together and use the Omega Key to bring the Spark's power back to its rightful place in Iacon!"

A wave of excited Autobot shouts swept over him, and the leader smiled.

"Til it is one!" he announced.

"TIL IT IS ONE!" his followers chanted. A beam of light flickered around the Omega Key, and it saturated the entire room and blinded the whole scene. In a matter of seconds, everything faded to black.

Megatron's clone reopened his optics and gasped at what was in front of him.

The scene had changed into blackness. Glowing red symbols were fading into the air, one at a time.

"The relic coordinates," Megatron's clone spoke aloud, refusing to blink once. The real Megatron stepped out from the pitch black shadows and tip-toed closer to his double. He positioned himself right behind his clone's back and stared at the coordinates, so Soundwave could record them.

There were now four sets of coordinates written. A devilish grin was plastered on the other Megatron's face the entire time, remained unchanged. All of a sudden, he detected a soft breath and the chill ran down his spine. He immediately whirled his body around and faced Megatron's narrowed optics.

"I knew I wasn't alone," he whispered crossly.

Megatron's smirk faltered.

* * *

"We've been made!" Flatline screamed at Soundwave's screen. "Forget the rest of the coordinates and disconnect him!"

Soundwave released Laserbeak from his chest and the scout flew over to Megatron's dome and yanked on the cord.

Megatron's clone stared at the original, an aghast expression constant on his face. Before he even had time to register it, a portal formed behind Megatron and he swiftly retreated inside.

"You were watching the whole time!" his clone exploded. "You stole my destiny!"

"It was never yours," Megatron growled, smiling sinisterly. He let out a great laugh, and it echoed as the portal progressively closed around him. The last thing his clone saw was his triumphant blazing optics.

Megatron returned to his body, and Flatline spoke no later after his optics lit up.

"My master, your plan succeeded!" he exclaimed like an infant. "You have lived after entering the AllSpark!"

"Fool," Megatron hissed back. "If my clone didn't sense me, we could have obtained all of the relic coordinates!"

Soundwave's screen replayed the footage of the coordinates.

"Yes," Megatron said, listening to the communications officer's reasoning. "It is possible that those four measly coordinates might lead to something worthwhile."

Flatline tapped Megatron lightly on the shoulder.

"What?" he growled as he turned his head back. His jaw dropped slightly.

The other Megatron was getting up on his feet and he pounded his fists together angrily.

"I will perish soon," he growled. "But I can still take you with me."

Megatron smiled, for he had finally found a challenge after so many eons. He told Flatline and Soundwave to leave and walked forward once they were gone in the SpaceBridge. The two Megatrons paced in a circle, staring at each other with pure hatred.

"There can only be one!" Megatron's clone yelled.

"Allow me," Megatron snarled.

His saber flipped out and he charged at his clone. With identical speed, his clone blocked his strike with his saber and swung at him. Megatron leaped out of the way and made another stab at his opponent, but his clone dodged the blow. He fired a blast of Energon at Megatron, and the original did the same. The large explosion caused both of them to slide across the ground at equal distances, and they grunted when they stood back up. They rocketed towards each other with their arms forward like a pair of mountain goats, and their large palms connected. Each Megatron tried desperately to push the other down, and their claws dug into their double's hands. Both Megatrons roared and snarled at each other, and only an inch separated their helms from clashing. Their optics were locked on like deadly lasers. Megatron's clone kicked his match with his right leg, but at the same time Megatron launched a roundhouse with his left leg. Their feet pounded into the other's chest and they slid back once more. For five more times, they exchanged indistinguishable blows, but no one could overpower the other. Megatron's clone swiped another blast with his saber and was about to fire back when he felt his spark burn madly. His Decepticon emblem on his chest pulsed purple violently, and he clutched it tightly.

"_NOOOOOOO! This wasn't how it was supposed to end!_" he shrieked. A foot planted on his chest, and he felt his circuits snapping at the impact.

Megatron leaned his body down and smiled broadly. Now more than ever, his optics pierced into his clone's spark. He put his cannon right in front of his clone's horrified face.

"I should not interrupt the AllSpark with its work. After all, the secret dies with the ones who seek, doesn't it?"

"Please, take me out of this misery!" Megatron screamed. Rust was slowly eating his body, slower than even Sentinel Prime's cosmic rust gun. It was as if each molecule of his body was being ripped to bits, one at a time.

"No," Megatron teased, leisurely lifting his cannon. "You need time to reflect on _all _of the terrible crimes you have done."

"Please, grant me mercy! I beg of you!"

"You out of all should know that I loathe begging."

"_Kre esca tanan_!" Megatron's clone cursed in Cybertronian. "_May you live long and die long, Megatron_!"

Energon oozed out of his melting metal like wax. Megatron watched as rust ate at his clone's optics and they cracked into pieces, leaving sizzling pieces of wire. Finally, he stood up and stomped into the SpaceBridge.

His clone's body was left unburied and untouched. Megatron had left it to shrivel into nothing, as his spark had become at that moment.

* * *

Flatline waited patiently at the mouth of the Space Bridge generator. The form of Megatron suddenly materialized within the portal and he stepped up to the scientist.

"What is your will, master?" Flatline questioned, bowing down from his stare.

"If it is my destiny to find all pieces of the Omega Key, we must boost our efforts to the max," Megatron said. Flatline looked up at him, registering another plan concocting in his sick mind.

"Alert all Decepticons around the globe once more. Their new mission is to hunt for the Iacon relics, before the Autobots can even realize our strategy."

"Is that all, lord?"

Megatron smiled.

"I will also need a new army of troopers. The score must be settled yet again."

Flatline nodded and left the room in truck mode.

"The power of the AllSpark," Megatron said hungrily with his optics glazed over. He laughed arrogantly, and it rumbled the entire _Nemesis_, piercing every Decepticon's core.

**Yeah, the race is on like Donkey Kong! By the way, PM me that u hav story alert so i won't hav to tell u that i updated the story. But I prob. will continue doing it anyway=) Reviews and comments are GREATLY appreciated!  
**

**ROLL OUT!**


	6. Chapter 6

Episode 6: Smooth Moves

It was a foggy day in the forest. The skyscraper trees blocked out all sunlight and a cloud of darkness covered the forest bed. All of the animals were buried deep in the ground, trying to escape the chilly temperature. A group of flamboyant macaws squawked as they flew away from their perches in the treetops, because there was a gang of predators lurking about. Their echoes sounded for a few seconds, but the dead silence eventually returned.

A blade slashed through the dense vines at the end of the forest, and a slender blue and pink robot burst out.

"Land, at last!" Arcee Three gasped, landing on all fours as she fell onto crumbling rock. "The nightmare is over!"

Bulkhead Four chuckled behind.

"You decapitate a billion Cons a day and you're terrified of little sticky cobwebs."

"Shut it," Arcee Three said, brushing off the web dangling in front of her face. Grimacing, she wiped her hands across the bundle of vines.

"If only we had Miko's phone now," Bulkhead Three emerged, grinning. "Arcee Three would be famous on the Internet!"

"Don't you mean the _Web_?" Bulkhead Four joked.

"Keep talkin' and maybe you'll find a Scraplet inside your trunk one day," Arcee Three smiled over her shoulder.

Bumblebee stepped up front and scanned the area for a minute.

He made a gesture to the Bulkheads that the coast was clear, and they lifted a heavy container of Energon onto their shoulders. Bumblebee joined them, and the three took steady steps towards the mouth of the cave, Arcee Three guarding the front.

"The Cons will never detect it in here," Arcee Three said, looking up. The cave they chose to hide their surplus of Energon was surrounded by steep cliff sides, too deep for radar.

The sound of footsteps echoed towards the entrance. Immediately, Arcee Three raised both of her pistols and fired into the dark depths.

A moment of silence passed, and then she saw the form of an attractive female Cybertronian appearing out of the blackness.

Her metal was colored in a sparkly ruby, and her body was athletic like Arcee Three's. A light gray metal belt was wrapped around her midsection and several of them decorated her leg-boots. Her face was similar to hers, and her wide optics glowed with magenta. Decepticon insignias glowed on each of her shoulders.

She flashed a mischievous smile at Arcee Three, and she felt her spark churn.

The female Decepticon dramatically opened her mouth and uttered a Cybertronian romance melody.

"_Tush ri gonan, tor un sogoem, fa si ponuen…"_

"What the-" Arcee Three squinted. She wheeled her head around, and saw the two Bulkheads and Bumblebee sauntering towards the singer, their optics drowsy looking. She dreadfully knew what was happening: they were in a trance.

"Urrg! C'mon, Bulk! Snap out of it!" she scolded, hopelessly trying to push Bulkhead Four back. "It's a trap!"

Her reflexes kick in, and she dodged a beam of Energon the singer had shot. Furiously, she fired more rounds at her opponent, but the Decepticon was hidden at the side of the cave.

"Scrap," Arcee Three hissed under her breath. She trotted closer to the cave, and the singer flung a small metal cylinder at her feet. Arcee Three froze when she saw the countdown timer on the bomb, and she quickly retreated.

"Arcee Three to base," she said in motorcycle mode. "Requesting backup."

The bomb a few yards away from her exploded and Arcee Three was launched into the air. She was thrown back deep into the forest, and her body clashed against a tree.

"Uggggggh!" she complained, standing back up and realizing that she had failed protecting her team.

A Ground Bridge appeared next to her and a yellow muscle car and three blue motorcycles skidded onto the undergrowth. Bumblebee Two and the Arcees transformed and pointed their pistols out.

"A Con took the Bulkheads!" Arcee Three shouted at them. "Before I could stop her, she triggered a bomb."

The Autobots lowered their weapons, realizing that they arrived too late.

"Who took them?" Arcee asked her clone.

"I don't know!" Three said. "She sang a song that hypnotized them and they took the Energon into the cave."

"So now we've lost two Bulkheads, Bumblebee, and a tonna Energon," Arcee Two shook her head. "This Con sounds like she knows what she's doing."

"The song didn't work on me though," Three added. "I think that it only works on guys."

All four of them stared at Bumblebee Two.

He bleeped a protest, chattering uncontrollably.

"She's too dangerous," Arcee Five reasoned. "We can't risk losing you too."

Bumblebee Two bleeped again, saying that nothing was going to stop him from trying to save his friend. He threatened that even if they sent him back to base, he would go after the singer.

Arcee sighed.

"Alright, you can come. For Bumblebee."

Bumblebee's clone bleeped joyfully and transformed. The Arcees followed and surrounded his car mode, watching closely for the deadly singing Decepticon.

* * *

Bumblebee's optics lit up and rotated slightly as he sat up from a table. He grunted when he cracked his back from lying on the hard table and moved his arms around. That was when he caught sight of her watching at the end of the table.

"Wow," she giggled. "You're really cute."

Bumblebee's arm transformed into a cannon and he raised it at the Decepticon.

"I don't want to be your enemy!" she shouted, lifting both of her hands into the air. "You can trust me!"

Bumblebee raised his eyebrow. She was a strange Decepticon, but no doubt dangerous.

"Look, I kept you sane!" she reasoned, pointing behind him. Bumblebee craned his neck around and saw Bulkhead Three and Four tidying the room. Their optics were still glazed over, and they worked silently. The Autobot scout stared back at her in horror.

"I normally despise men," she said quietly. "Too simple-minded. Too controlling. I make them into my servants by singing, and their trance can only be stopped by me." She emphasized the last sentence, so Bumblebee could understand her message.

"But you're different from the others," she began, walking closer to Bumblebee. "You would never lie to anyone. I want to know more about you. That's why I stopped my spell on you."

Bumblebee stared at the Bulkheads again and glanced back at her. He had to be pretty special in order to be spared of being a mindless slave. Gears in his mind whirred. If she wasn't lying, the Decepticon would be a valuable ally for the Autobots. She was possibly the Autobots' only chance of ever learning their enemies' plans…

Bumblebee bleeped questioningly, his cannon still pointed at her.

She smiled shyly.

"My name is Siren. What's yours?"

Bumblebee put on his best innocent face and bleeped back. Siren laughed, but not at him. It was a sweet laugh, one that distracted Bumblebee for a few seconds, but he finally managed to control his emotions like Optimus taught him to.

"Bumblebee," Siren repeated to herself. "It's really nice. It fits you."

Siren saw Bumblebee's shocked face and chuckled.

"I meant that in a good way, swear on the AllSpark" she grinned.

Bumblebee smiled in the inside. She was vulnerable now. Or maybe he was naively under her spell.

All of a sudden, a mental light bulb went off.

He bleeped a lie to Siren, slyly avoiding optic contact.

"You like it better here than with your team?" Siren asked, almost hopefully. To Bumblebee's delight, she left no trace of suspicion in her voice.

He nodded back, and bleeped softly about how Arcee and Ratchet always lashed at him when he made mistakes.

"I know!" Siren sat on the edge of the table, looking closely at Bumblebee. "It's like that with Megatron too. That's why me and a lot of other Cons quit working for him centuries ago. Now, all I have are my servants and my lair."

She paused to laugh. "I'm no longer affiliated with them, so don't think that this is a setup or anything."

That didn't help at all. Bumblebee started having second thoughts about the brilliance of his plan. Siren probably didn't even know that Unicron had risen only a month ago.

Bumblebee bleeped another question, pointing at two hypnotized Vehicons as they entered the room to join with Bulkhead Three and Four.

"I told you already. I hate men with all my spark. They're vicious, devious liars. They're willing to harm the innocent just to get what they want."

Guilt chewed at Bumblebee's core irritatingly, and he quickly changed the subject, pretending to appear worried.

"What if your team tracks their signals," she pointed at the Bulkheads, "and finds you? You don't want them to know you're here?"

He shook his head, noticing her grateful expression forming.

"Don't worry," she smiled. "My ship blocks their life signals, and if they try to rescue you, I've activated the invisibility cloak."

He let out a sigh of relief, panicking inside if the Autobots would ever find him. With all his spark, he prayed that she was hiding something from him.

* * *

Arcee Three and her team stopped at the vines where she and the others had been half an hour ago. The cave was ahead of them, the inside obscured in shadows.

"We're goin' in," Arcee said to her clones, activating her pistol. She and Bumblebee Two transformed and sped at the gaping entrance, driving in a serpentine motion in case of Energon blasts. With no trouble, they crossed over to the cave's sides and transformed. Bumblebee Two looked at Arcee and she nodded.

_Pew, pew, pew_! They launched deadly rounds into the cave, but they only passed into the darkness like gusts of wind.

"I knew it wasn't gonna be that easy," Arcee gritted her teeth. The rest of the Arcees caught up with them and peered inside.

"Okay, who wants to step into the creepy hole of mysteriousness?" Arcee Five asked her team.

Without hesitation, Bumblebee Two sprinted into the depths of the cave and the Arcees ran after him.

"_Bleeeeeoooooo_!" Bumblebee Two cried out while he ran relentlessly. He quickly reached the dead end at the rear of the cave, and he stopped in his tracks. He stared at the massive block of rock in disbelief.

"No…no…" Arcee Three said softly, shaking her head. "She's gone. They're gone."

Bumblebee Two would not take that answer. He angrily pummeled his fist deep into the stone, and managed to chip off a medium-sized chunk.

He turned towards the Arcees, and they shot blasts of Energon at the rock with their pistols. More clumps of stone fell off, but nothing significant.

For an hour, they continued slowly breaking through the rock until their Autobot insignias beeped.

"Arcee Two," Ratchet radioed. "I detect a powerful dust storm headed towards your positions."

"Don't worry, it's just a little bit of sand," Arcee Two scoffed.

"That "little bit of sand" will permanently blind your vision," Ratchet said sternly. "Return to base immediately, Optimus' orders. I know you want to find the others, but you won't be able to see a thing even with optic protection. You all can continue once the storm dies out."

A Ground Bridge opened next to them, and the team reluctantly entered inside. They turned around to stare at the rock while the portal was closing, hoping that their comrades were safe behind it.

Little did they know that the others were within the invisible ship parked at the ceiling of the cave.

* * *

Bumblebee droned another fake story about being picked last for a lobbing game, and he sighed quietly when Siren's optics looked at him sadly.

"It's too bad I wasn't there when it happened," Siren comforted. "I would've ripped this Wheeljack's legs off one by one."

Bumblebee nodded, not really taking in her words.

"Yeah, I know what it feels like to be left out. When I joined the Decepticons, Megatron promised me that I would help him change Cybertron. But I ended up scrubbing the armies' ships instead. Now it's payback time," she stated, and Bumblebee looked at her servants washing the spotless walls of the ship. The Bulkheads worked vigorously, polishing each of the control console's buttons delicately.

A beep distracted him and he turned his optics back at Siren. Her Decepticon symbols were pulsing on her shoulders.

She tensed and glanced at Bumblebee with a terrified expression.

"They've found me. Hide, Bee!"

The Autobot scout leaped off from the table and ran deeper into the ship, clumsily knocking over several hologram decorations in the corridors. A Cybertronian symbol above a door several meters ahead caught his attention: EXIT. He ran desperately towards it, and somersaulted out of the way when it opened to the outside. Bumblebee watched behind a large pole at the side as a chunky black and dark purple SUV skidded into the ship and transformed into a new version of Vehicon.

"Siren, your master calls for you," he shouted. "And don't even think about singing. My hearing receptors are programmed to scramble your words."

A sleek figure emerged from the other door. Siren dreadfully walked towards her visitor.

"How did he find me here?" she asked, more to herself.

"Oh, he always knew. He reactivated every Decepticon's beacon," he pointed at her insignias. "Because now he has a new mission. To search for the Iacon relics."

"And did I ever agree to go on a treasure hunt? What's stopping me from saying no?"

"No one agreed, and no one has a choice," the messenger said darkly. "And Megatron is not foolish. He knows every ex-Decepticon's positions. You'll be stuck in the _Nemesis_' torture prison before you can even rev your engine."

Siren gritted her teeth angrily.

"Now that we understand each other," the Vehicon continued. "Here's your mission."

He shoved a small metal card at her and exited the ship in SUV mode, leaving Siren staring at the card sadly.

She peeked at Bumblebee coming out from behind the pole, his optics locked onto what was in her hands.

Impulse caused her to quickly raise her blasters at him, and Bumblebee pointed his cannon at the same moment. His optics widened when he heard soft sobbing, and he hesitantly lowered his weapon. Siren's back was now facing him, her body shaking gently. One of her hands was wiping her optics while the other held onto the card.

She peeked at Bumblebee over her shoulder, watery marks stained on her face.

"I'm so sorry for scaring you," she said. "It's just that…you reminded me of someone. An Autobot spy named Tailgate."

Bumblebee gave her a curious look, revealing no clues that he once fought alongside Arcee's deceased partner.

"He was sweet like you," Siren added. "Acted like he was interested in me. But once he escaped with the secret Decepticon weapon I was guarding, I realized that it was all a trick. Your face was the same as his when he saw the weapon I protected. After that, he began showing his true colors…"

She cried harder.

"I don't want to make the same mistake again. I just want to trust someone, for once in my life…"

Something inside Bumblebee snapped. He walked closer to Siren as she was wiping her optics, and gently embraced his arms around her. She finally raised her head, and stared reverently at Bumblebee's face pointed down at her, his optics shut tightly.

She found herself resting her head on his shoulder and slowly drifting into sleep.

Bumblebee flinched when he felt her chin, and he lifted her body into both of his arms. He softly pulled the card out of her hand and placed it on top of a console. Rocking her soothingly, he came to the table where he woke up on and laid her on it. Once he was finished, he took a step back and gazed at her. She looked like an angel, with her door wings and soft face. The star-shaped crest on her helm glowed like a halo.

Remembering his task, he shook his head to get her off his mind. Soundlessly, he tip-toed to the console and grasped the card with the Iacon relic coordinates. He was about to lift it up when Siren spoke.

"Bee," she uttered with her optics still closed. "Stay with me."

Bumblebee noticed a Cybertronian symbol etched next to a green lever on the console, and he flipped it on as he headed back with the card clutched in his fist. He squatted quietly next to Siren's table and saw her smile in her sleep. Bumblebee flipped out the communications keyboard on his forearm and began texting to the Autobot base:

**WE R HERE**, it said.

He waited anxiously for several minutes until he finally saw the symbols being typed back:

**ON OUR WAY =)**, Arcee replied.

Bumblebee sighed calmly and rested his head against the wall, hoping that they would reach him in time before he would see Siren's tears again.

* * *

Four motorcycles and a muscle car followed an ambulance out of the Ground Bridge, and they transformed inside the cave. The storm had left a blanket of sand that covered the rocky walls.

Ratchet Two pulled out his Energon scanner and checked the area. The Autobots watched apprehensively behind him.

"Nothing," he sighed. Bumblebee Two slapped his arm against the wall angrily, and Arcee Two and Five held him down.

Arcee texted Bumblebee again: ** CAVE, WHERE R U?**

On the ship, Bumblebee walked over to the console and searched frantically for the switch. He pushed a white button down, and the ship's invisibility cloak powered down.

The Autobots climbed up a massive stalagmite on the floor of the cave and somersaulted inside the entrance of the ship, Ratchet Two clumsily landing on his back.

"I need to get in shape," he grunted as he stood back up, the Arcees and Bumblebee Two surrounding him with their weapons engaged.

Bumblebee Two caught a beam of light in his optic and turned around. The original had his cannon pointed out like a flashlight, and gestured them to follow him inside the room. Stealthily, they dashed inside and met up with Bumblebee at a nearby wall. He held Bulkhead Three and Four apart, wrenching them away from his face as they tried to scrub it.

"Oh my," was all Ratchet Two could comment. He swiftly pulled out his toolbox and began to work on the Bulkheads' circuits.

Bumblebee crouched down and bleeped to Ratchet Two as he repaired them, pointing at Siren asleep in the distance.

"Too late to Bridge back," the medic explained, trying to keep calm. "I just started the procedure."

Bumblebee sighed and glued his eyes to Siren for any movement. The four Arcees had their pistols pointed towards the entrance, in case of any intruders.

Bumblebee Two sat next to his double and bleeped an apology for their lateness; there was a dust storm in the cave. Bumblebee bleeped that it was alright, and that he got intel from Siren. He was about to pull out the card until the sound of whirring was heard. The Autobots ceased their work, and their jaws dropped when they slowly peeked back at Siren.

One of her servants was scrubbing a corner of her table, and he was getting closer to Siren's body.

Arcee launched an Enetgon blast at his back, and it hit him silently and quickly. The impact shut down his systems.

A surge of relief immediately fell over the Autobots for a second. Then they saw his body beginning to crumple down, down at Siren…

She gagged when she felt the blow, and she lifted her head.

"What the?" she groaned. She gasped in horror at the servant sprawled on her, and her optics finally pointed at the intruders. Ratchet Two was hurriedly lifting Bulkhead Four to his feet, and he followed his clone into the Ground Bridge portal that suddenly appeared.

"Arrggh!" Siren's hands transformed into pistols, but she couldn't raise them. Panicking, she tried to wrench her body out, but the servant wouldn't budge. Meanwhile, the Arcees leaped into the Ground Bridge and Ratchet Two followed.

Siren managed to free one arm, and she fired a round of Energon. It clearly missed the portal and collided into a console at the side. Bumblebee Two appeared out of the blue and directed his cannon at her body. Siren watched with terrified optics as the barrel glowed blue with Energon.

"No, Bee!" she screamed.

A second Bumblebee appeared, and he bleeped to his clone, saying that she was no threat. Bumblebee Two lowered his weapon and ran into the portal beginning to disappear.

"Bumblebee, what's happening?" Siren pleaded, still dazed at seeing his clone.

Bumblebee easily lifted the servant off of her and bowed his head.

"Sorry," he bleeped quietly. Siren's Energon pulsed uncontrollably. She yelled and shot several blasts at his face, but he quickly retreated into the portal. She sprinted up to it, but it was closed by the time she reached it.

"Idiot," she muttered. Siren wheeled her head at the console and the card wasn't there, as she expected.

Tears gathered at the ridges of her optics. She rubbed at them irritably, and removed her hand for a moment. Sheer hatred was replaced in her narrowed optics. Her breathing became shallow, and she grinded her teeth. The Decepticon symbols on her shoulders pulsed with a bold magenta.

She made a call to someone she pledged to never speak to again.

"Lord Megatron," she radioed.

"I'm listening," the Decepticon leader replied.

"I request permission to board your ship. I will commence the mission you gave me."

"I will grant your request only if you give me one valid reason why you're rejoining the Decepticons."

"I want Bumblebee to pay."

Megatron raised his eyebrow when he heard her answer, but finally sent a Ground Bridge to her coordinates.

* * *

Bumblebee held the card a foot away from his optics and shot a beam of light through it. A hologram of the globe formed and four red arrows pointed at different locations, and they were labeled with coordinates.

"Bee, you hit the jackpot!" Bulkhead laughed, clasping the scout on his shoulder. "The Cons won't know what hit them!"

"That Con's dumber than I thought," Arcee Three added.

"Bumblebee," Optimus spoke up. "I question the wisdom of you deceiving Siren to obtain information."

"Optimus, are you saying that we should try to make _friends_ with the Cons?" Ultra Magnus asked with disgust at the idea.

"If they are willing to reconcile with us, our bias must not prevent their efforts," Optimus said gravely.

The team looked down, Bumblebee deepest in thought.

"But for the time being we have more important matters to focus on." Optimus finally turned towards the coordinates.

"We must obtain the relics before Megatron does. The fate of mankind is in our hands. This is a race we absolutely cannot afford to lose."

His optics burned bright with determination.

"I sense that the Decepticons are beginning to mobilize," Ratchet said.

"We must split into teams to hunt down the artifacts. Immediately," Optimus commanded.

Bumblebee hoped with all his spark that more drastic measures wouldn't be taken. Or at least that the past wouldn't repeat itself…

**Reviews and PM messages are welcome as always. In case u forgot what i put in ep.5, tell me if u hav story alert so i wont have to post to u that i updated. for the newbies, i hav a weird way of posting stories. i only post a section of a story and add more as time goes on, instead of just posting an entire story. i really want my followers to literally see the story's development...that and i am a slow typer. Don't forget to spread the word! Roll out!  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here it is, guys! Yeah, the intro is kinda stale but it WILL get more suspenseful...you probably know my style by now =). And yes, Puma Punka is a real place. If you want a really good mental picture of it, look it up on Google Images. If you haven't check them out yet, I have some stuff on deviantart: look up AllHailHeroes. Just some OC character deisgns, and I'll add more as the journey continues. Anyway, enjoy! **

Episode 7: Burglar Bill

A row of yellowing corroded H-shaped stones sat on the dry soil. Splotches of dead grass were littered at their bases, and gold patches of moss clung onto a stone H's side. In the middle of the red soil was a pile of brick red ruins like crushed bars of chocolate. The cruel Bolivian heat warmed the steps of an abandoned temple. Massive cinderblocks cast wide shadows that touched the sides of the temple, and a scorpion nested in the cool shelter.

Four trucks, one a white and blue semi, drove into the area. Simultaneously, they transformed and Bulkhead shaded his optics with his hand.

"Puma Punka," he commented at the destination. "The relic could be anywhere in this wasteland."

"What? I thought these were the exact coordinates," Ultra Magnus pouted, spreading his arms out.

"These are the coordinates for the _location_," Bulkhead Three explained patiently. "Apparently our ancestors were too lazy to be more precise."

"C'mon, we're wasting time," Bulkhead Two said, flipping out his Energon detector. He paced forward with it, and the others scanned the area with their detectors. Each of the Autobots split up and checked a section of Puma Punka.

"Got nothing," Bulkhead radioed after searching the temple.

"Zip," Bulkhead Three replied once he was done digging through the pile of brick red rocks.

"Same," Ultra Magnus added, in a slightly lighter tone of Optimus' voice.

"I'm getting a signal," Bulkhead Two said around the H blocks. He continued sauntering forward, taking huge thumping footsteps.

The scanner beeped rapidly when he stopped at a row of ancient H-stones, and Bulkhead Two approached it. His enormous paws stroked the Cybertronian symbols engraved at the side of a stone at the end.

"Mission accomplished," he radioed, and his left hand transformed into a mace. He swung down, and the wrecking ball effortlessly demolished the marked stone. The dust cleared away, and Bulkhead Two grinned at the object in his sight. From the rubble, his hand clasped onto a handle in the ground and pulled out a dark blue and silver Cybertronian chest. It was small and narrow but weighed as much as all of the H-stones combined. The burly Autobot set the chest on the ground and squatted down to observe the elaborate gold designs on the lid. Flares of sunlight reflected off the gleaming metal like sparkling jewels.

He looked up and saw the others driving closer to him. His team transformed and Bulkhead patted his clone's shoulder.

"Alright, Con Crusher, what we got?"

"Some kinda trunk," Bulkhead Two replied. "Got a lot of stuff inside it too."

"Let's bust this thing open," Bulkhead Three grinned. His hand transformed and he slammed it against the side of the chest. It didn't even leave a scratch.

"Here, let me try," Bulkhead said. He and Bulkhead Two banged their fists hard at the side, and they felt their knuckles crack loudly.

"Ah…ah…ah…_ow_," Bulkhead

Ultra Magnus set his hammer down and casually stepped up to the chest. He wiped the dirt off the front side of the lid and revealed a latch. He slid the rod back and felt the lid click.

He looked behind and smiled at the Bulkheads' astonished faces. Ceremoniously, he flipped back the lid.

"Wow," he uttered, staring inside.

"What? Let me see," Bulkhead Three said eagerly. He nudged Ultra Magnus to the side and widened his optics when he glimpsed inside.

The chest was empty. Then Bulkhead Three noticed a large symbol engraved at the bottom: a design of a red bolt with swooping arcs at each side: **check my deviantart page (AllHailHeroes) to see, can't post a link =(.** For some reason, it looked familiar to him, but it was hidden at the back of his mind.

Ultra Magnus kicked the box back angrily, and the lid slammed shut.

"Gone," he said bitterly.

"You don't think…" Bulkhead Two turned towards his original.

"The Cons are fast," he sighed, crossing his arms and staring dejectedly at the box. He imagined Optimus' reaction when they would return empty-handed. He almost wished that the Autobot leader would yell at the team instead of remaining silent, praying that the humans would not be harmed. How come life hated the good guys so much?

Suddenly, an Energon blast was shot, and Bulkhead Three's body rammed into his and plowed him back several meters. The impact felt like a giant asteroid smashing into his torso, and Bulkhead coughed hard once his clone got off of him

"What was that for?" he wheezed angrily. "You almost broke my ribs!"

"The Cons are here!" Bulkhead Three defended. Bulkhead stood up and got a glimpse of four black and purple SUVs, following a flashy red sports car with white decals. Ten Air Vehicons flew in jet mode above them, guns pointed at their four targets.

The Autobots glared at Knockout as he transformed and nonchalantly walked up to them, wiping off the dirt on his grille.

"My, my, Megatron was right. You guys never fail to impress."

"Just spit it out, Pretty Boy," Bulkhead Three spat back. "What'd you do with the relic?"

"Don't act cute," Knockout said in his best menacing tone. His hand transformed into a spinning saw blade. "Hand it over."

The Autobots gave each other confused looks for a second, but managed to convey the message. The Decepticons didn't know that the chest was empty.

"Okay," Bulkhead said to Knockout, loading his cannon. "Got one for everyone."

With lightning-quick actions, he and Two pummeled the troops with deadly Energon blasts. Two drones standing next to Knockout collapsed face-down, and he dodged out of the way with a shriek. Bulkhead Three and Ultra Magnus fired up at the aerial drones, and in no time every jet and robot nosedived into the rocky ground of Puma Punka.

Knockout shielded his head (and paintjob) with his arms, and awkwardly ran forward at Bulkhead Two with his saw blade out.

"Catch!" Ultra Magnus yelled. He hurled the chest at the scientist; and it horrifically, painfully, dreadfully, gashed his custom finish.

"N-n-n-_nooooooo_!" he cried out while being squished under the heavy burden. He raised his head, and saw the wretched Autobots enter the Ground Bridge opened a second ago. With dumbfounded optics, he watched it fade away and banged the back of his head on the ground dejectedly. Suddenly, he felt the trunk being lifted off of him by four Vehicons and shot up like a cork, gasping uncontrollably for air.

"Primus, I _hate _this _job_!" he exclaimed at the sky with his arms stretched out.

"Knockout," a drone interrupted at the side.

"What?" Knockout yelled over his shoulder, rubbing at the scrapes on his metal.

"There's nothing in here."

"What?" Knockout turned around irritatingly and stared at the opened chest. Sure enough, there was nothing in it…except for a symbol engraved at the bottom. He had seen it numerous times while decoding the Iacon relic coordinates on the ship.

He was about to pout to the drones about it being the worst day of his life until he glanced at the sides of the box. Being a medic, his trained sensors picked up a minute detail, one that was easily overlooked by the Autobots.

"Gentlemen," he addressed. "You know what this means?"

He pointed at some deep scratch marks at the front and back sides of the chest. They were too aligned to be battle damage and too big to be from claws. Knockout recognized right away that they were left by the clamp of a crane used for digging.

"Is this a trick question?" a dumb Vehicon asked, scratching the back of his helm.

Knockout slowly shook his head.

"The humans got here first."

* * *

**To Anonymous Reviewer: first off, thanks for the review! Just to let u kno, the iacon relics combined will make the omega key, so no the relic in this episode will not be the actual key. about ur idea with the clones getting their own identities like Elita and Chromia, I don't know if I might those characters in the future. I think I'm only gonna hav ultra magnus get a new identity cuz he is the only clone that is completely different from his original. Hope it doesn't sound like I don't like ur idea...****  
**

**and btw, i'm fine with anonymous reviews, but i really want to kno u better. u can send me a PM to tell me who ur username at least so i can fill u in on some plans for latr episodes or to just chat in general. if u don't want to, fine with me. i enjoy a good mystery! i just hope u hav a good reason to be anonymous.  
**

**Anyway, thanks for ur support! Roll out!  
**

Arcee Five couldn't believe her optics. They had sent four Bots, three of them some of the heftiest members of the team, and a counterpart to O_ptimus Prime_. How could they possibly be defeated by the measly Decepticon drones and return empty-handed? The Autobots were fully aware that their enemies would step up their armies after discovering the clones, but maybe they had underestimated. Arcee Five shuddered at the thought and ran up to the portal.

"That bad, huh?" she said to them resentfully with her hands on her hips. She sighed. "This day keeps getting better and better."

"What are you talkin' about?" Bulkhead chuckled, spreading his arms out. "We're all fine!"

Arcee Five shook her head. "The Cons snatched the relic, didn't they?"

"Nope," Bulkhead Three joined. "Wasn't even in the chest."

Arcee Five let out a huge sigh of relief, closing her optics and covering her face with her hands.

"Thank the AllSpark," she uttered. She felt the tension slowly fade from her body.

"But, we did find a symbol etched at the bottom," Ultra Magnus spoke. He splayed out his palm and a hologram of the symbol flickered above it. "You know what it is?"

"Doesn't ring a bell," Arcee Five said as she squinted at it. "Optimus probably knows. We'll ask him when he gets back from his mission."

A siren blared the next second and a window appeared on the main screen. Arcee Five sprinted up to the console and read the message.

"Proximity sensor," she sighed to the others over her shoulder. Another window popped up, showing a helicopter on the base's helipad.

"Agent Fowler here," a voice radioed. "I need to speak to Prime."

"He's on a mission right now," Arcee Five communicated back.

"Figures. I'm comin' down."

"Wait-no!" Arcee Five yelled, but he had already signed off. She bit her lip nervously. Fowler hadn't visited the base ever since the incident with Nemesis Prime. He was going to scream like a little girl after meeting the clones…She thanked Primus that most of them were gone at the moment.

The elevator opened, and a stocky dark-skinned man with curly back hair entered the base. He wore the same suit they had always seen him in, but now he wore a red-white-and blue striped tie.

"Alright, I got some news for y –what in Abe Lincoln's beard?"

He stumbled up to the railing and gawked at the Bulkheads and Ultra Magnus with his mouth wide like a goldfish. He spun around and stared at Arcee Five as she walked closer.

"Look, I can explain," she groaned.

"How does Cauliflower Prime know about the Clem Gem?"

"The whatsa?" Arcee Five stopped.

"_Cauliflower Prime_?" Ultra Magnus boomed indignantly at the back.

"The Clement Gem," Fowler repeated. He raised his chin proudly. "Got a chance to see it myself few weeks ago."

He raised a finger at the hologram. "That exact symbol was imprinted on it. No one knows what it means."

"Same here," Bulkhead noted.

"Wait-" Arcee's clone began in an urgent tone. "What did the Gem look like?"

"Let's see, it was kinda like a giant gold bracelet," Fowler described, drawing a round shape in the air. "There's a big crystal smack in the middle with that symbol on it, and it changed color constantly, about every few or so seconds." He laughed to himself. "Sure was pretty."

Not one Autobot smiled when he returned his glance on them.

**To Prodigal (Anonymous): I don't think I'm gonna change any other clones' names cuz it would seem like a repeat of ep.3. also, if one clone's name is changed, then EVERYONE's has to cuz that would be unfair. as for ratchet II, well, i think i'm just gonna leave him as is. but if u want me to add mor characters like perceptor and chromia, i will try to incorporate them in later episodes or even the next season (yes the season after clone chronicles, prob. in the fall or later next year). again, i hope it does not sound like I don't lik ur ideas, it's just that i'm gonna use them for a better purpose. so instead of just naming a character a nostalgic name, why not just hav the character incorporated in the story? so for example, perceptor would hav the right alt mode (think its a truck) rather than an ambulance. basically, i want the characters to be nostalgic to the old tf fans instead of just having their name slapped on a character. keep up with the reviews btw! i can really tell u care for this story! and i promise, i'll try to make ur wishes for the story come true...just not in the way u'd expect it ;)  
**

"There's more to it than nice colors, isn't there?" Fowler asked flatly.

Arcee Five nodded gravely.

"That "bracelet" is actually the Stanix Ring," she informed him. "Said to bring good luck to the one who wears it."

"We're talkin' about the _ultimate_ good luck," Bulkhead Two added. "Like, wish-your-enemy-gets-killed-and-he-does –luck."

"Megatron wouldn't want to miss out on that," Bulkhead Three said bitterly.

"We have to take it," Arcee Five declared.

"Whoa, whoa!" Fowler cried out. "Now I know we've done this stuff before, but this thing is not even in a museum!"

"So it's in someone's house?" Bulkhead scoffed.

"Exactly! The President's!"

His words echoed through the immense room, and the Autobots fell silent.

"You're an agent though," Ultra Magnus reasoned. "You can get in easily."

"Getting in isn't my problem; I know where it is. It's getting caught. You know what they call an agent that steals so much as a roll of toilet of paper from D.C.? They call him a traitor to his country!"

He ran his hand through his hair, pondering. The team scratched their heads, looking down at their feet.

"Actually," Bulkhead Three spoke up finally. "I think we might be able to pull this off."

"How?" the others said in unison.

"With the help of our little computer genius."

Arcee Five's optics lit up excitedly.

"Before you guys came here, I bridged him, Miko, and Jack to Optimus. I'll tell him to come back; it's not like he'd say no to this."

"Do it," Bulkhead Three said determinedly. "We have to be quick."

Bulkhead located the coordinates to Washington D.C. on the main screen and Ultra Magnus swiftly punched them into the Ground Bridge Generator. In a few seconds, the green vortex materialized and Fowler stood up in front of it.

"Well, wish me luck," he spoke to the others across the room. The Autobots nodded back encouragingly, showing no traces of doubt on their faces. Despite their strong faith in him, Fowler couldn't help but make a silent prayer before he proceeded forward:

"Whoever is listening up there, just please make this mission a cinch."

* * *

The recon drone soundlessly drifted above the black helicopter, hiding within the clouds. Through the misty air, Soundwave spotted the destination: a grand five-floor office building with five sides. His positioning systems indicated that he was in Arlington County, Virginia.

_"The Pentagon is bound to have records for the excavation site. Maybe even the relic's exact location_," Knockout had told him aboard the Decepticon warship. It was probably the smartest thing the gaudy coward had ever said. Maybe he had an epiphany when Megatron almost extinguished him for failing, and the right words came to his mind.

The faceless jet suddenly released his own drone attached to the back, and Laserbeak stealthily hovered down into the light blue sky. The drone softly fastened itself to the tail of the chopper, and Soundwave activated its invisibility cloak. The metal plates on Laserbeak's bluish-purple wings quickly toned down to a gunmetal black, and its camouflaged body seemed to fade into nothingness. Soundwave remained above the clouds, patiently waiting for Laserbeak's signal.

Meanwhile, the chopper landed on the Pentagon's helipad, and several men in suits stepped out. Pitch black shades covered their eyes and they spoke into small Bluetooths clamped on their ears. Still retaining its invisibility cloak, Soundwave's drone fluttered ahead of the passengers and perched itself at a locked entrance. Laserbeak followed its programs and...

**To Prodigal, thanks for understanding bout how I'm not gonna change the clones' identities like with U.M.! Seriously, you're a very considerate person! Now bout ur questions in ur review, yes I created the Stanix Ring. Honestly I just wiki'ed cybertron and just popped in the city name (Stanix) in front of Ring to make it sound cybertronian =) And of course u can suggest stories, especially odd ideas and stories bout Jack, just not crossovers. In fact, a story I'm cookin' up is that in a future episode Jack will finally meet his long-gone dad ;)**

**See ya, and keep up with ur reviews! I'm really enjoying replying back lik this! Serves as a break to the new stuff i posted!  
**

...transformed into a harmless purple boombox.

The men from the helicopter reached the door and swiftly entered the access code. Not one of them seemed to notice the forgotten boombox near the shrubs. The door released, and the men coldly stepped inside single file. The last man in line was about to enter until he heard an old 80's song played:

"_You got the touch…you got the power!_"

He spun around and saw Laserbeak's disguise; and after briefly scanning the boombox for a hidden bomb, he picked it up and set it on a stone sculpture of a politician inside one of the Pentagon's hallways. No sooner after he left, Laserbeak transformed and activated its invisibility cloak. The drone hovered into a nearby elevator with exiting workers, and locked it from the inside so no more fleshlings could interfere. It skimmed down the rows of buttons, and pressed down on the one for the basement with its wing. At once, the elevator shot down, past two floors of offices and under the courtyard filled with freshly-trimmed hedges and erect statues. The elevator's bell sounded sharply and its door slid to the side, revealing numerous rows of computers and technical equipment. Before emerging from the elevator, Laserbeak froze the security cameras, all forty of them. The drone zoomed down a row of computer equipment and stopped at a blue kiosk with an eagle on it. Laserbeak's visual sensors read the message shown on the screen: National Defense Network. A blue outline of the United States was behind the logo, with four stars underneath the letters.

Without delay, Laserbeak calculated the coordinates of the network room and sent them to Soundwave gliding through the sky. He used his ability to generate Ground Bridges, and darted into the green portal he had opened in front of him.

It happened in the blink of an eye. The Ground Bridge emerged out of the air, illuminating the entire basement in the colors of an aurora. Then it vanished, revealing Soundwave like a magician pulling away his tarp. His eerie silhouette cast a long shadow that seemed to freeze everything it touched. Laserbeak reattached itself to his chest to from the rest of his armor, and Soundwave stretched out four violet tentacles with glowing magenta accents. He squatted down in front of the computer screen and stabbed each of his tentacles into the kiosk's circuits, at each corner.

**To Prodigal: Sorry (shame face) but I'm not that acquainted with AVP. So far, the only movie I watched from the franchise was Prometheus, which was awesome! But I don't think the Aliens universe should be blended in with the TFs mainly because it would create way too many characters to focus on. It's already pretty crowded with the clones, and they should be the main focus for the story along with the usual characters. Your story sounds VERY intense and pretty graphic, and the mood wouldn't work with the rest of the series. In short, the story's already complex enough, I'm not gonna include crossover episodes. But I can reference other universes so maybe I'll have Raf say something about AVP in an episode lol. If u hav any mor ideas not concerning crossovers, I'm all audio receptors =) Thanks for all of the reviews! **

**To readers: I know I didn't add much, but it was a busy week! I'll update soon ASAP!  
**

A window opened on the screen requesting the password. The skilled communications officer's skeletal fingers worked in unison, tapping the miniscule keys with his fingertips. In a few seconds, he accessed the database of the system without even inputting the password. Stealthily, he hacked into the secret government projects file and a long list of files appeared, protected by codes Soundwave would easily crack. The list of files downloaded on his visor screen, and he began to unlock them, five at a time.

The silent Decepticon deeply enjoyed the power of knowledge coursing through his body, for no secret could be kept from him.

* * *

Agent Fowler brushed pieces of grass from his suit as he calmly walked towards the entrance of the White House. The sun radiated the enormous lawn in front of the residence, and the freshly-cut grass was bright green. Only the sounds of his footsteps and the peaceful whistling of the wind were heard, since Pennsylvania Avenue was closed to all non-governmental vehicles. Agent Fowler took pleasure in the silence; he had heard the sounds of vehicles driving and skidding more than he could handle.

He flashed his CIA badge in front of one of the guards, closing the pouch promptly so he wouldn't see the ID picture of him with his eyes crossed and a dab of cherry pie on the corner of his lip.

"Go ahead sir," the guard said, stepping off to the side.

"Thank you Tim," Fowler said, misreading his nametag that said "Jim".

He proceeded through the huge glass gates and into the Entrance Hall. A bright red luxurious rug was rolled out to the entrance, and the checkered floor was spotless. A crystal chandelier hung down from the ceiling, lighting the entire room in a warm yellow light. Red chairs were positioned at each side of the gate, pointing towards the chandelier. Their empty seats gave Fowler the sensation that someone was practically waiting for him to make a mistake. He shook the subject off and tugged up on his tie.

Three guards immediately emerged out of a door leading from the Blue Room, weapons drawn out.

"Afternoon," Agent Fowler greeted, showing his badge once more. "I got a message for the President."

All three of them stepped aside, and Agent Fowler proceeded into the stairway heading towards the State Floor, where the Oval Office was located. He climbed up the stairs, and stopped halfway.

"Eagle to Hawk," Agent Fowler radioed. "Are the shooters still there?"

Back at the Autobot Base, Bulkhead Three shook his head as Raf scanned through the White House's camera network on his laptop, taking a sip of Diet Dr. Pepper.

"Codenames?" he laughed lightly. "That's awesome! Whose idea was it?"

"Bulkhead, actually," Raf smiled at him from his desk.

"Nah, I was just foolin' around," Bulkhead replied modestly. "Didn't know you guys were actually gonna do it."

"How come we didn't think of that?" Bulkhead Two asked his clone. "I thought we're supposed to be the same."

"The shooters aren't watching you, Eagle" Raf radioed back after checking the screen.

"Good eye, Hawk," Agent Fowler commented, and he climbed down the stairs leading to the Ground Floor instead.

**To Prodigal,**

"Trust me, we're barely like our originals," Arcee Five responded sulkily to Bulkhead Two's question. "For some reason, I'm a lot, well…_smarter _than Arcee. I always have to save her back when she goes off to do something stupid. Remember our first raid on the Cons' Energon mine? She faced a trooper _alone_ when he was about to call Megatron 'bout us, but an army surrounded her. If it wasn't for Optimus, Arcee Three, and me, she would've been toast."

"I know what you mean," Ultra Magnus spoke up. "I'm nothing like Optimus."

"That's 'cause you don't have the Matrix," Arcee Five replied. "It's different with us. Our originals have nothing in common with us except for looks."

"Shhh, guys keep it down. Got a CIA-class hacker at work," Bulkhead whispered, pointing at Raf as he deactivated the alarm system of the China Room.

* * *

Soundwave analyzed the image on the screen, and noticed the colorful jewel in the middle of a gold loop. How blind the archaeologists were; the alien artifact they had found wasn't just a magnificent jewel but also a ring that gave the wearer the fortune of the gods. He knew that the Stanix Ring would give Megatron the luck he deserved, and his plans would be executed flawlessly. Quickly, Soundwave read through the captions of the file and located what he needed: the coordinates to the Clement Room. He mentally entered the coordinates, and opened a Ground Bridge a few seconds later. Smoothly, he stood up from his crouch in front of the computer and strode into the portal, quickly and yet unhurriedly. The Ground Bridge shrank into nothing and right after the electronics of the basement restarted normally, as if nothing had happened.

* * *

Closing his eyes tightly, Agent Fowler slid a fancy glass plate to the side and exhaled when the alarms didn't sound. Remembering the tour the President gave him, he pressed on the rose button embedded in the wall behind the plate. Behind him, a polished wooden shelf holding several pieces of china slid back and a dark stairway was behind it.

"Motion sensors shutting down right…now," Raf radioed right when he finished hacking into the stairway security system. A beep sounded and dozens of camera hidden in the darkness slunk back into the walls.

Fowler steadily descended the narrow staircase, using his Lucky Pen as a flashlight. He breathed heavily with each step, feeling the air getting farther away from him. He heard a loud creak and suddenly the shelf blocked the entrance to the staircase, leaving no gaps of light from the China Room. Fowler didn't worry about it; once he retrieves the Stanix Ring, he could send out for a Ground Bridge to his coordinates. He jumped off the last three stairs and landed in front of the door to the Clement Room. The door had an old-fashioned brass knob, an optical scanner, and a keyboard on it. Once again, recalling his tour with the President, Fowler pushed a small floormat of the United States flag to the side and it revealed another keyboard. The President had said that the password changed everyday, but Fowler knew it was simple. He entered the date and time at that moment, and the door lifted up into the ceiling like that of a garage.

"Hawk, are there any eyeballs in the room?" Fowler radioed back to the base.

Raf checked his laptop and deactivated the security cameras with a few taps on the keys.

"Coast is clear, Eagle! Get the Ring and return to base ASAP!" Raf replied.

Agent Fowler slowly stepped inside the room, completely forgetting that he had been in it before. The sheer height of the room was equal to a magnificent Gothic church. It was easily over thirty feet tall, and giant steel braces held the ceiling up. The room was lit in the same dark blue as the staircase, but bright green light seeped in from cylinder-shaped lamps on the floor. Agent Fowler pointed his flashlight pen forward and finally spotted it: in the center of the room was a thick glass case that held the Stanix Ring.

**To Prodigal: I am really sorry, but at this time I cannot take on anymore projects. I would like to keep focused on my Transformers Prime story, I also don't know enough about AVP to make it into a FF story crossover. My suggestion is find someone who writes for those other two movie verses. I would hope you would not stop reading and reviewing my story just because I cannot team up with you on your story, I would not do the same to you if you couldn't do it. But thank you for suggesting the story, but sadly I must decline. I hope you'll be able to understand. And if you do, thank you. If you don't, I'll keep rolling out.**

**To the readers: Here's the last section of ep.7. I kno it's VERY lengthy but hey its the SEVENTH episode...expect it =) Anyway, ep.8 is in progress, and I hope you'll be there when it comes!  
**

The jewel in the center alternated from a deep emerald to a brilliant purple like a lava lamp, and the purple changed to a bright sapphire.

A large version of the red bolt symbol was inscribed in the center, and its color stayed constant unlike the jewel. Stumbling, Fowler ran up to the case and converted his flashlight pen into a screw driver. Sweating nervously, he unscrewed the bolts of the case and Raf deactivated the alarm system so he could lift it off.

"Okay, come to papa!" Fowler exclaimed, wiggling his figures n the air excitedly. His arm hugged around the loop of the ring, and he tugged with all his strength. Miraculously, he was able to lift up a centimeter, but his arms immediately gave. Grunting loudly, he quietly set it down and called the base.

"It's way too heavy. I could barely lift it," Agent Fowler explained to Bulkhead. No surprise there; humans had at least ten times less the strength of a Cybertronian.

"I'm comin'," Bulkhead Three said instantly.

"What?" Arcee Five panicked. "No offense, but the room's probably too big for you."

"No it isn't," Raf said, showing them his computer screen. "From the cameras, it looks like the room is definitely taller than Bulk."

"C'mon, Cee, I gotta do something too. Bulkhead comes up with cool ideas, Bulk Two found the chest, Magnus got a powerful hammer-"

"Alright! You can go," Arcee Five interrupted, reluctantly activating the Ground Bridge. "Just know that the Cons might come."

"Roger Dodger," Bulkhead Three said, and he jogged into the portal.

* * *

Bulkhead Three exited the Ground Bridge and was glad that the Clement Room's ceiling was still high above him.

"Over here!" Agent Fowler shouted about five meters away. Bulkhead's clone took two steps and crouched down in front of the Ring. Effortlessly, he picked it up and gestured to Fowler beneath his feet.

"Let's go," he said. Agent Fowler nodded and placed a miniature hologram projector at where the Ring had been. He switched on a button and it projected a replica hologram of the artifact. Quickly, he screwed back on the glass case, praying that no one would take it off and realize their theft. He gave a thumbs-up to Bulkhead Three and he turned around to return to his arrival coordinates. Instead he faced Soundwave's shadowy form.

"What the-" Agent Fowler gulped, not recalling any clues of an opened Ground Bridge. "How did he get in here?"

"Doesn't matter," Bulkhead Three answered, glaring into his opponent's blank faceplate. "His funeral."

He bellowed as he swung his mace at Soundwave, but the Decepticon slinked out of the way. Frustrated, he aimed at his faceplate again, and was surprised at his success. The metal ball collided off the black screen and sent Soundwave flying back into a wall. The Decepticon straightened up and Bulkhead Three noticed a crack slowly forming on the screen. By the time it was finished, the gash was large but unable to reveal Soundwave's face. He stood still, shocked at Bulkhead Three's skillfulness. While his opponent was distracted, Bulkhead Three had another go at him, and his mace clanged against Soundwave's muscular chest. Once more, the Decepticon's body skidded to the ground, and Bulkhead Three triumphantly planted his foot on his chest. Soundwave's cracked faceplate looked helplessly up at his burning optics.

"Stop it! It's a trap!" Fowler warned Bulkhead Three, running up to him with flailing arms.

"Listen Tough Guy," Bulkhead Three said darkly, failing to hear Fowler. He raised his mace over his head. "You try to take this ring, the Autobots will _take you down_."

He roared as he swung down to finish the job, until an Energon blast hit him from behind. Bulkhead Three spun around, and saw Laserbeak flying away from his body and around the room. He focused his attention back on Soundwave and gasped at the sight of him already standing up, not a sign of weakness displayed.

As fast as lightning, Soundwave sucker-punched Bulkhead's clone beneath the jaw and he crashed to the floor with a huge thump.

"Fowler here, we need a Bridge ASAP," Agent Fowler radioed in a panicked voice.

Moaning painfully, Bulkhead Three stood back up and glared at Soundwave stretching out his hand so Laserbeak could perch on it. The drone gave a small object to its master, and Bulkhead Three suddenly realized that he had been robbed of the Stanix Ring.

"No!" he shouted, furious at his mindlessness.

Soundwave opened a Ground Bridge and casually stepped inside. His faceplate turned towards his defeated opponent and it flickered on to a video recording of their brawl:

"_You try to take this ring, the Autobots will take you down!_" Bulkhead Three saw himself on the screen. The video stopped after he angrily swung the hammer down, and the portal enveloped Soundwave's body. Somewhere inside, Bulkhead Three knew that there was a smile under that cracked visor.

* * *

"You lost it?" Arcee Five scolded Agent Fowler once he and a frowning Bulkhead Three returned to the base.

"That bird took it from Bulk Three while he was pummeling Soundwave into gravy," he defended. "I warned him about it, but it was too late."

Arcee Five groaned frustratingly, knocking her fist on her forehead.

"Do you know how much power Megatron has now? Our lives are literally at his fingertips!"

"Maybe you should talk to Bulk instead of me; there was nothing I could do!" Agent Fowler yelled at her.

"With all due respect guys, shut up," Bulkhead Two yelled from across the room. The two forgot their bickering and ran over to him, Arcee Five arriving first. Raf, Ultra Magnus, and the two Bulkheads were gathered around Bulkhead Three in truck mode, remaining silent.

"Bulk, I know it wasn't your fault," Arcee Five apologized, crouching down. "I seriously doubt the ring is as lucky as it seems."

Bulkhead Three only started up his engine and drove to a dark corner, faced away from the team.

"Arcee Five," Raf spoke, pulling out his computer. "Megatron is not gonna use the ring to destroy us."

"How do you know?" she questioned, hoping that he was right.

Raf turned the laptop around and showed her a video from a security camera, one Soundwave had secretly activated during their brawl. It was the exact one he had shown Bulkhead Three before he disappeared into the Ground Bridge.

"Once the government gets a peek of this video," Raf started in a terrified voice. "They might change their minds about the Autobots!"

"Are you saying-" Arcee Five turned towards the rest of the team. Ultra Magnus nodded gravely.

"Those we've protected all these years…will go against us."

Agent Fowler and the team gave each other looks of terror, the video burned into each of their minds like a terrible nightmare…

**The adventure continues in ep.8. Stay tuned and fasten your seatbelts!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Note: Like in season 2, the Autobots' missions are all simultaneous, so basically this is not a new day for the Bots. This adventure is happening at the same time as ep.7 and the others'. Hope you enjoy it and yes this was inspired by Triage =)  
**

**To Prodigal: Thanks for understanding, you're awesome! Yes, I'll think bout doing a TFP and AVP crossover after the Clone Chronicles, as long as u tell me the mythology of AVP. Keep in mind that it will take awhile...Clone Chronicles will be like a TF season so bout 25 episodes. I'm also thinkin bout making a new season after clone chronicles to fit new characters in =) Anyway, hope this helps and thank you for reviweing my stories! -everyday hero  
**

Episode 8: Dreadful

Out in the forest, the only noise heard was the harsh howling of the blizzard. The day was dark as night, as usual. The dark gray blanket of sky cast a merciless shadow over the hundreds of Douglas Firs, and the blizzard roamed instead of anything alive. In fact, there were no signs of life at the moment, nothing that would brave the freezing cold. An ambulance with no driver trekked across the malnourished soil; two blue motorcycles and two yellow muscle cars trailing behind. The vehicles stopped in the middle of a cluster of trees and transformed. Ratchet pulled out his scanner and checked the area. Behind him, Arcee Six and Three transformed and Bumblebee Two and Five followed.

With drowsy optics, Bumblebee Two walked up to Ratchet and bleeped questioningly.

"My scanner's getting nothing," the Autobot medic sighed. Bumblebee Two sighed heavily and his door wings flopped down.

"Check the ground, maybe it's buried," Arcee Three suggested, shivering.

"I did. There's nothing," Ratchet spat, kicking the dirt.

Bumblebee Five face palmed himself and frantically began peeling off the bark of a tree's trunk.

"Don't even try," Ratchet said over his shoulder. "The relic is older than any of the trees in this forest. There's no way it's hidden in one of them."

"Maybe a moose ate it or something," Arcee Six suggested lightly. Both of the Bumblebees let out identical chuckles and Arcee Three smiled along.

"Can you guys be a little more mature in this situation please?" Ratchet rebuked. "We have to find the relic before the Decepticons! And if anyone is uncooperative, he or she will immediately be sent back to base."

He looked directly at Arcee Six.

"Is that clear?"

Arcee Six held back another wisecrack and suddenly her audio receptors picked up noise coming from the distance.

"Wait-you hear that?" she asked Ratchet. Ratchet and the others stopped and listened, but there was only the howl of the wind.

After a few more seconds, they heard it: "R_AAARRRGH!_"

"It's coming from over there," Ratchet said, pointing towards the west. Immediately, the Bumblebee and Arcee clones transformed and zoomed towards the battle cry. Sighing to himself, Ratchet transformed and chugged behind.

* * *

Wheeljack's white Lamborghini mode swerved out of the way from Dreadwing's sword, and their blades clashed once more after he transformed. Although Dreadwing was far larger than him, the Wrecker demonstrated just as much skill, parrying every one of his stabs. The two fighters glared at each other behind their swords, Wheeljack staring up at his gigantic opponent.

"Why don't you just hand it over?" Dreadwing grunted down. "Then you won't end up the same as Sea Spray!"

"RAAARGH!" Wheeljack yelled, and he pulled out his second sword from his back. Swiftly, he swung the blade down at Dreadwing's forearm, but he spun to the side.

"Optimus has much to teach you," Dreadwing gloated.

"I'm not even with the Bots, Golden-Face," Wheeljack mocked. His hand transformed into a blaster and he shot a round of Energon straight at his face, but it only bounced off his cockpit chest.

"Cheap shots now, aren't we?" Dreadwing said as he stored his sword and readied his massive Magnetar Pulse Blaster. "My turn!"

A beam of violent orange formed inside the barrel of the cannon and several blasts erupted out rapidly like a gatling gun. The impact shot Wheeljack into the air and on his back, and he coughed once he lifted his head. A blue fighter jet was flying away into the blizzard, four purple Vehicon jets at each side. At the base of one of the Vehicons was the weapon Wheeljack had found underneath a frozen lake. It was shaped like a magnet with a block attached to the end, like a vertical lock, and when activated it generated a monotonous sound that paralyzed the listener. Wheeljack knew it was a weapon, after falling unconscious when he turned it on, but little did he know how important it was to Megatron's cause.

He heard the ground rumble, and he shot back up on his feet and unsheathed his swords. _Ready for round two_, he said to himself, pleased at Dreadwing's will to fight. Unfotunately, it wasn't a Decepticon behind the brush. A yellow muscle car tore through the foliage and parked in front of Wheeljack, and it let out an enthusiastic bleep.

"Yeah, hi, it's been awhile," Wheeljack sighed disappointedly, storing his blades. "Is Bulk here?"

Instead, a second muscle car and two motorcycles emerged and stopped next to Bumblebee Five. The four of them transformed, and Wheeljack scratched his chin.

"Whoa! You guys have twins?" he asked Bumblebee Five.

"We're clones…it's kinda a long story," Arcee Three explained while brushing off sticky cobwebs on her arms.

"Don't wanna hear it," Wheeljack replied, surprise still shown on his face. "Where's the rest of the team?"

"They have missions," Arcee Six answered. She looked behind her shoulder, at the vines they had come out from.

"Actually," she added. "There's still another Bot with us. I swear he was right behind me before we got here…"

She and Bumblebee Two cleared out a section of vines and revealed Ratchet's ambulance mode parked behind. Sighing to himself, Ratchet transformed and reluctantly walked forward.

"Hello Wheeljack," he muttered, in a defeated tone.

"Nice to see ya, Doc," Wheeljack joked. "No need to hide, I know your motor's a little rustier than all of us."

"Hrmph," Ratchet grumbled back. "And my name's not _Doc_."

"Sorry….._Sunshine_."

The Arcees couldn't help but grin, and the Bumblebee clones snickered in bleeps. Ratchet only rolled his optics.

"So uh," Arcee Three straightened herself up. "Was that you yelling a few minutes ago?"

"Yeah. I was fighting that bonehead Dreadwing," Wheeljack informed, cracking his knuckles. "He was trying to steal this weapon I found."

"Is it still here?" she asked, looking around the area.

"Uh…no," Wheeljack admitted. "A trooper took it from me after I was knocked down. When I got up, it was too late."

"You got defeated by a puny Decepticon?" Ratchet teased, with an appalled expression. "Why, Bulkhead told me that you once took down a whole _horde _of Decepticons, without any help."

"Today was a bad day for me," Wheeljack shrugged.

Bumblebee Two bleeped a question to Wheeljack.

"I found the weapon in a lake in the middle of this forest," he replied.

Arcee Three gave a look of realization to her clone, and Arcee Six sadly nodded back. At the same time, Bumblebee Two put his hand behind his neck. He had found the Iacon relic they were searching for.

"What?" Wheeljack asked, a little tense.

"What did the weapon do?" Arcee Six questioned.

"It generates some kind of pulse that causes you to fall unconscious. That's about it."

"Okay, nothing threatening to humans. That's good," Arcee Six sighed in relief.

"Well, now that Wheeljack has lost us the Pulse Resonator," Ratchet pronounced. "And humanity's safe from the Decepticons, I suggest we return to base."

"Shame you tire so quickly, Doc," Wheeljack commented slyly.

Ratchet took a deep breath and turned around from the Wrecker.

"Arcee Five, we are in need of a Bridge," he radioed. Static.

"There's more of you guys?" Wheeljack asked Arcee Three to the side.

"Yeah, the whole team got cloned," she whispered. "Bulkhead too."

"That's…awkward," he chuckled, having difficulty imagining it. "I gotta meet them sometime; see how close they are to that big lug."

"Sure, you can meet them after they get back from their missions."

"NOTHING!" Ratchet shouted loudly into the frigid air.

"What?" the team asked, slightly alarmed.

"Talkin' to yourself again?" Wheeljack asked.

"This wretched blizzard is blocking out all communication," Ratchet cried out, spreading his arms out in frustration. "We're stuck here until it's over!"

The Autobots stared up at the gray sky through the thick snow, praying that it would soon stop.

"We have to find shelter ASAP," Ratchet announced, peeking at the readings from the screen on his arm. "That or freeze our circuits in the blizzard."

"It's just a little chilly, Doctor. Nothing much," Wheeljack said, shivering slightly.

**To Prodigal: I'd love to hear ur other story and in fact I might do it AND the AVP crossover if I hav time 2. but i'm free for any story requests cuz lets face it: theres more fish in the ocean. thanks for all ur reviews and patience cuz i hav to admit i've been slacking on the stories mainly cuz of school stuff for summer (no not summer school, just stupid summer reading for junior year). i added a little mor to the story and i kno its not a lot but just bear with me ;)**

**To readers: Yes, I hav been quite the busy bee. got summer reading to do and on top of that studying for PSAT (Perfectly Stupid A$$hole Test). but i'll try to add mor to the series cuz i just realized that all i did so far for the summer is typed the other HALF of ep.7 and a QUARTER of ep.8...yikes. my goal is to maybe get up to 15 episodes by the end of summer...lets hope for the best. anyway, here's what i added. not much but better than nothing. thanks for ur support and roll out!  
**

"You wanna turn into a popsicle, suit yourself," Ratchet said, waving his hand dismissingly. He gestured to the team to follow him, and they all transformed.

"Coming?" he asked Wheeljack, and he flickered his headlights on. Behind him, the Bumblebees triggered on their windshield wipers to clear out the snow and the Arcees revved their throaty engines.

"Hmm…think I'll head back to the _Jackhammer_," Wheeljack emphasized his ship's name and was pleased to see the clones pause for a second. "It's a lot better than staying in…a cave, now that you think about it."

Bumblebee Five bleeped to Ratchet, and the old Autobot medic sighed.

"Are we invited to come aboard your ship?" he muttered.

"You are now," Wheeljack grinned. He transformed into vehicle mode. "Follow me."

"With pleasure," Ratchet sighed, and the team trailed behind the slick white sports car.

* * *

The _Jackhammer _was hidden a couple miles from the frozen lake, in an area surrounded by giant trees. It was located in the densest part of the forest, where humans couldn't intrude. A thick layer of snow covered the vessel's body, and ice formed around the green and red painted accents. The laser cannons were useless now since a bird had built its nest within the cavity. The cockpit windows were frozen and completely blinded.

Within the ship, Wheeljack flicked on a switch and the black interior was illuminated by bright spotlights.

"Make yourselves comfortable," Wheeljack stated to the Autobots as they looked around with curious optics. "Her flight systems are fried but the heating is still functioning."

At the side, Bumblebee Two and Five excitedly turned on a blank screen and bleeped disappointedly when they realized it was a radar.

"Sorry, no TV," Wheeljack said. "But there is Virtual Lob at the front. Thought I was a pro at it until Prime hitched aboard. You guys should try beating his high score; it's gonna take light-years though."

They followed him up to the main screen in the cockpit, and Wheeljack replaced the GPS with the game. They grasped the holographic controllers eagerly, but when they saw the _Pong_-level graphics, their energy quickly faded away. Even Earth's computer games were more advanced than it, and that was serious.

Wheeljack raised his eyebrows at Arcee Three and Six doing a Cybertronian version of yoga near the heater, since they were freezing in bike mode the entire trip. With delicate grace, they held a pose on one leg and with their optics closed. Skillfully, they bent their knees at a ninety-degree angle and remained still as stone.

"You got any hobbies?" he asked Ratchet while he looked through an ice-covered window. "Baking, checkers?"

"Yeah, go on, laugh," Ratchet said. "There's no telling when we'll be able to get back to base again."

Wheeljack began to work up another one-liner, but something called out to him in his mind. A second round against Golden-Face…

"You said that the all communications are down, right?" he questioned. "It's possible that Dreadwing never bridged back."

"Your point?"

"We could steal back the Pulse Resonator," Wheeljack spoke. "It may not be dangerous to humans but it's still bad that the Cons have it."

"Are you nuts? Searching for the Decepticons in this weather? Think, for once in your life. You'd probably freeze to death while walking around in circles!"

Wheeljack couldn't argue with that. He kept his mouth shut, and then, as if on cue, Bumblebee Two bleeped out energetically. The two turned their heads around at the same time.

"You know where the Decepticons are?" Ratchet asked aloud. Bumblebee Two nodded back and switched on the radar. A cloud of orange representing foreign Energon signatures appeared on the screen. Ratchet jogged up to the cockpit and analyzed the radar.

"Wait a second," Ratchet said, pointing on the screen. The orange cloud was outlined with red, which represented the Autobots' signatures. "How can this be?"

Shutting off his game of Virtual Lob, Bumblebee Five realized what Ratchet was pondering about and bleeped questioningly.

"That's it," Ratchet replied. "It doesn't make any sense. According to the radar, they should be right where we are."

Both of the Autobot scouts shrieked and searched the area, looking under tables and rattling appliances that could've been possible disguises.

Silently, Wheeljack walked up to Ratchet's side, his head down. A confident smirk was on his face.

"I know where they are," he announced. "They're not here. They're up there."

He shot his finger into the air, at the skylight. The mountain's peak was shown through the hexagon-shaped window, about fifty miles away. The blizzard roamed the air outside, hurling long shards of needle-shaped ice.

"That's a swirling wall of death!" Ratchet exclaimed. "You're going up there?"

"Yup. Now."

**To Prodigal: 'Bout your ideas, they sound good but I'm not sure I'll translate them exactly the way u put them. i might hav to put them into a seperate series. I see that u really lik episodes where the Bots need to figure out if Jack is trustworthy when he changes form so here an episode idea that might work for u:  
**

**one of the relics has the ability to switch bodies, so maybe jack's mind is switched with a con (lol maybe knockout) and the bots need to figure if he's the real deal or not. meanwhile, they need to figure out a way to get his body back and etc. tieing with ur second idea, ratchet discovers that jack's dna is mixed with con dna so they realize it's him. tell me what u think! hope this helps  
**

**To readers: here's a little more i've got to ep.8, and don't worry there will only be one mor after this one...then its ep.9 finally! adding on, i encouarge anonymous reviews if ur willing cuz u kno i lik seeing the review number boost up every once and awhile. the important thing is that u read what i've done and like it. if u can do mor, that'd be awesome, just as long as u dont feel forced to by me. now, lights, camera, roll out!  
**

Wheeljack began to move towards the drop door until Ratchet suddenly stepped in front of him.

"Hold on a second, Hot Rod. Autobots don't fight alone, Optimus' orders."

"I'm a _Wrecker_," Wheeljack said indignantly.

"You'll be a _wreck _either way if you go alone." He called out over his shoulder, "Bumblebee Two and Arcee Three and Six, accompany Wheeljack."

"Let's rock and roll," Arcee Three addressed to her team, transforming her hand into a pistol. Arcee Six extended her arm blades and Bumblebee Two readied his Energon blaster excitedly. They met up with Wheeljack and stood at his side.

"How thoughtful," Wheeljack muttered to Ratchet.

Bleeping heatedly, Bumblebee Five argued with Ratchet and pointed at his double and then to himself.

"You will be helping me repair the ship's Ground Bridge Generator. C'mon," the medic gestured. Ignoring Bumblebee Two's mock laughter, Bumblebee Five groaned loudly and stomped behind him into a shaft at the side.

The Autobots looked back at Wheeljack, but he had vanished. The drop door stood ajar and they could make out his body trotting through the blizzard about a hundred yards away. He hadn't even bothered to warn them that he was leaving.

Cussing in Cybertronian under their breaths, the team darted after the stubborn Wrecker. The storm around them howled louder and the temperature dropped drastically.

* * *

Bumblebee Two was the first to catch up with Wheeljack, and he bleeped a question as they climbed up the steep slope.

"Just leave it to me. I don't need any help," Wheeljack answered without looking at him. Behind his back, Bumblebee Two rolled his optics at the Arcees and they both exhaled in annoyance. A fire burning within her optics, Arcee Six marched up to Wheeljack and began to release all of her anger towards him.

"We're a team like it or not Wheeljack," she erupted. "Maybe if you included us in your strategy, you won't _lose the relic_ again?"

Wheeljack only ignored her comment and continued, though he paused slightly when she mentioned his meeting with Dreadwing.

"You're okay with Bulkhead," Arcee Six pressed on. "What's wrong with us?"

"Nothing," he said at last. "It's just that Bulkhead actually knows when to stand down and let me do the fightin'."

"You got a problem with teamwork?"

"Yeah. A team makes you weak, 'cause you're always relying on others. Look at the Doc! I bet he'd be torn apart if he didn't have you guys as his bodyguards. "

"You're wrong," Arcee Three piped up, irritated. Arcee's hot temper was slowly overcoming her control. "A team doesn't mean you're weak. Ever since we joined with Arcee and the team, the 'Bots finally had a fair chance against the Cons."

"Which is more threatening?" Wheeljack retorted simply. "A one-man army or just an army?"

"A team is different from an army, genius. And by the way, Ratchet is far from weak."

Bumblebee Two bleeped in agreement and Arcee Three smirked proudly after she finished.

"Just…don't try helping me," he repeated flatly. He stealthily dashed on and leapt over a deep ravine within the side of the mountain. In mid-stride, he unsheathed the blades from his back. The Autobots only eyed him with irritation, for he was like a boy lost in his fantasies.

* * *

Once he was sure each point of the summit was guarded by a Vehicon, Dreadwing radioed to the _Nemesis_.

"This is Dreadwing. Got the Pulse Resonator. I need a Ground Bridge, over."

For the fifth time he received no response; not even a complaint from Knockout about a speck of dirt on his door.

Dreadwing raised his head another time, but the area was free of any annoying Autobots. From experience, he knew they were hidden somewhere, waiting, so he kept his guard on as he raised the Pulse Resonator to his optics.

As Megatron had predicted, the Omega Key symbol was imprinted on a section of the handle in light gray. He smiled to himself, picturing Megatron's appraisal at his new acquisition, but mostly for Skyquake's pride of his brother.

* * *

The relentless storm was at its worst point near the summit of the mountain, because of the high altitude. Ice shards chipped the Autobots' arms as they shielded their faces from the blizzard, and a couple yards ahead of them Wheeljack even felt his feet starting to numb.

"Almost…there," he coughed to himself. The ruthless winds were hurling his body backward, but he dug one of his swords into the ground and used it as a cane.

Behind him, Bumblebee Two's foot dug into the thick snow, and got caught underneath the rocky surface. He tripped and fell face-first into the trail, and his door wings swung down when he was buried underneath the snow.

"C'mon Bee, this is not the time to make snow angels," Arcee Six chuckled, as she and her clone stared at him.

Shaking the white power from his face, he got up on both of his hands and lifted his body up, but he couldn't budge his left foot. In a groaning tone, he bleeped to the Arcees.

"You're stuck?" Arcee Three asked. "Pull harder."

He clasped his left thigh awkwardly and tugged. His foot loosened, but it was still lodged into the ground.

Grumpily, he tried transforming into car mode, but stopped when he heard a loud _crack_ at his left hip. Stopping in mid-transformation, he returned back to robot mode. Slowly and carefully, he rotated his left thigh about a centimeter and hot, searing pain bit into it like razor-sharp knives.

"_Bleeeeoooop_!" he screeched, hugging his leg and flinging his head back violently. He began to fall onto his knees until both Arcees caught him.

"Your hip's fractured," Arcee Three informed, cringing at the thought. "Don't move that leg. Here, easy does it."

She supported his body upright, and Arcee Six gently dislodged his foot from under the rock. Slinging his arms over their shoulders, Arcee Six and Three began to take baby steps forward.

Then they realized that Wheeljack was already up to the summit, about two miles away from them. She gawked in disbelief as she saw him turn his head back at them for a brief moment and look away. He ran out of sight, leaving them helpless.

Arcee Six blew up like a cauldron of seething foam. "Hey! Get back here, you-"

"He's not gonna help us," Arcee Three interrupted, sighing. "He's as bad as the _Cons_."

They continued walking with Bumblebee Two, reminding themselves to snitch on Wheeljack when they get back to Ratchet. Identical mischievous grins lit their faces as they pictured Optimus' reaction to the rogue Wrecker.

* * *

_That's odd_, Wheeljack thought. The Arcees and Bumblebee Two were either terribly slow hikers or had unlocked the power to vanish into thin air. He hoped they were catching up and had not deserted him, since the storm was too thick to see the bottom of the trail. Then again, he had been a little harsh to them. He honestly couldn't blame them if they had abandoned him; he said so himself that he liked working alone. Team or not, he was going to have to give the Decepticons a warm welcome.

"Going somewhere?" a Vehicon asked, pointing his rifle at the right side of Wheeljack's helm. He was guarding the entrance to the summit until the Wrecker had emerged on the spot.

"Not where you're going," Wheeljack whispered, and with a sleight of hand, dug his sword clean through his chest. His quick reflexes picked up two other troopers running towards him, and he effortlessly launched their comrade's body straight at them. Their actions were rapid, however, and they somersaulted out of the way as soon as the body was thrown. As always, Wheeljack took the advantage and shot them down with only two blasts from his Energon blasters. Right after getting hit, their crumpled bodies splayed out on the snow, the smoke being continuously blown by the harsh blizzard.

Wheeljack looked ahead of the bodies and his sharp vision caught sight of his arch-rival: Dreadwing stood yards away, sharpening his sword on a giant icicle. His red optics burned with confidence, but also a bit of admiration at Wheeljack's boldness.

"It's so nice of you to stop by," he announced nonchalantly. His giant silhouette shown through the blizzard only made him more intimidating. "Unfortunately, we don't really appreciate guests."

Wheeljack glared up and saw five Vehicon jets up in the freezing air surrounding him, lasers drawn.

"If you want this," Dreadwing shook the Pulse Resonator into the air. "Then you're gonna have to go through _all of us_."

"Let's dance," Wheeljack uttered, making swishing movements with his blades. He ran full-speed at his enemy, and the Vehicons simultaneously shot blasts of Energon at his form. With great skill, Wheeljack clashed his blades together into an X and reflected each of the shots up at the jets. The destroyed jets nosedived into the mountain, and avalanches erupted around the mountain as Wheeljack and Dreadwing rammed their swords together. Tidal waves of snow passed down the mountain like lava from a volcano as they swung at each other's necks.

Wheeljack thrust his blade at Dreadwing's chest, but he quickly blocked it with his huge forearm. With the benefit of speed on his side, Wheeljack dashed to the side and slashed the left side of his chest, where his armor was weak. Dreadwing grunted slightly at his cut, but continued parrying, swiping, and using brutal force. Frustrated at Wheeljack, he clasped his goliath hand around his sword when he made a stab at his leg, and yanked it away. Gritting his teeth, Wheeljack made another swipe at him and Dreadwing shielded his chest with his enormous sword. The Wrecker bound up into the air and aimed his sword directly at Dreading's face. The giant caught the tip of his blade and tossed him severely back into the ground. Squatting to brace his fall, Wheeljack landed on his feet, and realizing that his swords were gone, transformed into car mode. At breakneck speed, he took off from a large rock protruding from the ground and clashed into Dreadwing. Even for his size, Dreadwing couldn't keep his balance from the sheer force. He was viciously thrown back at the edge of a cliff and Wheeljack transformed on top of the now-cracked cockpit on his chest. He wrenched his two blades from his opponent's hands and raised one in the air, his optics darkened with bravado. Away from his glance, Dreadwing reached behind his back for his Magnetar Blaster. Wheeljack swung down but stopped when he gazed down the cliff. The blizzard had cleared for a moment, and he saw the Arcee clones and Bumblebee Two desperately retreating from a huge avalanche he had caused. Arcee Three and Six hastily pushed Bumblebee Two forward, his floppy left leg scraping the floor like a rag doll's.

Suddenly, a blast hit him as powerful as a bear hug from Bulkhead, and he was sent into the air. He slid back onto the floor, and Dreadwing chuckled to himself as he stepped towards him, carelessly throwing his blaster to the side. His side aching, Wheeljack got back on his feet and Dreadwing's giant shadow engulfed him once he was up.

"I'm disappointed. Your skills didn't live up to my expectations," Dreadwing commented dryly, tossing the Pulse Resonator in his hand like a coin. "This fight was quite the waste of time."

He directed the Resonator at the Wrecker and at the moment he was about to shoot, Wheeljack transformed into car mode and drove between his legs.

"What the –you coward!" Dreadwing spun around and watched dumbfounded as Wheeljack transformed at the edge of the cliff and pulled out his swords.

"It's not over Beefy Blue, I just…need to pick something up."

He sliced right through the thin ledge, and dropped down at full speed. Dreadwing ran up to peek over the cut-off cliff, and saw Wheeljack using the cliff as a snowboard while he plowed down to meet with the Autobots.

"His loss," he muttered to himself, and he transformed into jet mode and zoomed away.

* * *

Urgently, Bumblebee Two screamed at the Arcees to go faster after glimpsing at the avalanche behind them, only feet away now.

"We're trying!" Arcee Three yelled back, slowing down slightly to keep up with Arcee Six's pace. She stepped on a sharp rock that stung her leg, but failed to stop her.

"Can't you run faster?" she scolded her double. "It's right behind us!"

"It's not me, idiot!" Arcee Six yelled back. "Bee's leg keeps dragging back on my side!"

Bumblebee Two turned his head away from their arguing, and his blue optics widened at the sight behind him. He told the Arcees to zip their mouths and to look back.

"No way!" they both shouted back as fiercely as Arcee herself.

"Jump on!" a voice hollered at the side. Astonishment lit in their optics when they witnessed Wheeljack surfing down the mountain on the cliff.

Without hesitation, the Arcees ran closer to Wheeljack and threw themselves and Bumblebee Two on the icy board. The Arcees collapsed down on the cliff and clutched its sides like how Wheeljack was doing, and they squeezed Bumblebee Two in between their bodies so he wouldn't fling back. Meanwhile, the sled shot down the mountain at breakneck speeds, making large gashes on the rocky side and nearly outrunning the avalanche.

"_Whooooooaaaaa!_" the four of them cried out as they slid down, Bumblebee Two unleashing a bleep that went from low pitch to higher.

Snowflakes stung Wheeljack's face, and he brushed them away irritatingly as he shouted, "There it is!" At the foot of the mountain was the _Jackhammer_, only a minute away from them...and the avalanche.

**To Prodigal: I'd love to use ur Megatron idea for another series, maybe even this one! love the irony of him switching roles with OP. Definitely ur best idea so far =) If u got any mor, keep 'em coming =)**

**To Readers: This is the final section of ep.8! Reviews and comments welcome! By the way, if u hav any story suggestions, i'd love to hear them, and i might even use them for this series! just remember, i hav the plot outlined in my head already and i can only take minor episode ideas that wont create a new plot element cuz i already planned the ending episodes (bout the last 5 or so). but again any suggestions would be awesome, just as long as u kno i might hav to shelve them for awhile and use it another series maybe. enjoy!  
**

"We gotta destroy this!" Arcee Six shouted, pointing at the tidal wave of snow shooting down the mountain. "Ratchet and Bee will be crushed!"

"It's impossible!" Wheeljack replied. "Nothing can stop it!"

As a desperate attempt, Arcee Three radioed to Ratchet, praying to Primus that the communications now worked.

"Ratch, you and Bee Five get outta the ship now!" she exclaimed. "There's an avalanche heading your-"

Bumblebee Two interrupted her and shot his finger forward.

In the distance, a Ground Bridge had opened by some small miracle. Never had the four been so grateful to see a green sparkling portal.

"In there!" Wheeljack yelled. He and the Autobots rocketed inside on the cliff ledge, and the portal immediately faded away. The avalanche tumbled down to the floor of the mountain and buried the _Jackhammer_ under colossal amounts of ice and rock.

* * *

The Ground Bridge Generator exploded in a magnificent emerald, and Wheeljack and the Autobots slid out to the floor. To their surprise, they were transported through the _Jackhammer_'s generator, not the Autobot Base's. Bumblebee Five and Ratchet watched, Bumblebee Five feeling more jealous of the fun he could've had, as the four robots casually jumped off from their giant sled. If he hadn't looked through the window a few seconds ago, and saw them hurtling down the cliff, they would've been scrap by now.

"Hey, you guys fixed it!" Wheeljack said excitedly, pointing back at the Generator.

"Yes we did," Ratchet said flatly, still unhappy that Wheeljack was still one piece. "And _you_? Do you have the Resonator? Or did you have a "bad day" again?"

Wheeljack couldn't answer that with the air of confidence he had only a few hours ago. "It's…Dreadwing has it."

"I thought so," Ratchet looked at his knuckles with a bored expression. "Maybe if you allowed some _help _you would've been better off."

"Ratchet," Arcee Three spoke up. "He left the weapon to Dreadwing to save _us_ from the avalanche." She gestured to Arcee Six and Bumblebee Two, and Ratchet's anger suddenly melted away into a shocked, yet pleased, expression.

"Is it true?" he asked Wheeljack in a much softer voice. "You saved your team?"

"It's not as great as it sounds. I started the avalanche," he said shyly.

"But you threw away your chance of revenge to rescue your friends," Ratchet added with great joy. "If that's not like an Autobot, I don't know what is."

"Look, I am not one of you guys," Wheeljack said turning away with his arms crossed. He stared up, trying his best to swallow his emotions. "And I-I am not going with you to the base."

"You're gonna stay here, under all this snow?" Ratchet teased. Slowly, Wheeljack peeked back at him smiling along with the Autobots, and he sighed.

"I already have somewhere to go. Something I must do."

He turned around in surprise when he heard Ratchet step away from the control panel, and extend his arm invitingly.

Wheeljack uneasily walked up to the panel and keyed in the coordinates to his destination. Whirring into action, the portal opened and Wheeljack made one last comment to the Autobots.

"You won't be following me, right?"

Ratchet shook his head no. "I have a feeling we'll meet once again."

"Well then I'll be dreading that day."

"Stay away from trouble," Arcee Six grinned.

"As long as it stays away from me," Wheeljack nodded back. He addressed the Bumblebees and Arcee Three. "Don't forget to tell Bulk and his buddies I said hi."

They agreed and he entered the Ground Bridge portal.

"See you later," Ratchet said quietly as he passed by.

"You too…_Ratchet_." He transformed into car mode and zoomed away from sight. The Bridge closed and Ratchet smiled to himself. As much as Wheeljack tried to act tough, he still made a mistake when he departed. At the moment he had heard Ratchet speak, he looked back.

* * *

Agent Fowler drank his coffee depressingly as Raf and Ultra Magnus struggled to obtain a communications line.

"Turn it to the right a little more," Raf signaled. Grunting, Ultra Magnus and Bulkhead Three pushed a large metal satellite to the east and stepped away as Raf typed in his laptop.

"And…presto!" he yelled, pressing enter for the twentieth time.

Silence followed as the Autobots stood by in anticipation.

"Got something?" Arcee Five asked Raf, doubt lurking in her voice.

"No," Raf answered dejectedly. "None of the signals can reach us."

Altogether, the Autobots sighed gloomily.

"I can't believe my boys actually had the guts to do this to us," Agent Fowler yelled, slamming his fist on the table. "Didn't they know that we wouldn't be able to call the others?"

"Uh, I think that's why they shut off everything," Bulkhead commented.

"Bulk, this is no time to be sarcastic," Arcee Five scolded.

All of a sudden, a portal formed inside the deactivated Ground Bridge Generator and the Autobots watched in awe and relief as Ratchet appeared along with the Bumblebees and Arcees.

"Prepare the Medical Bay!" Ratchet announced urgently inside the Ground Bridge tunnel. "Bumblebee Five is injured!

The team within the headquarters remained static; gaping at what they were sure was a mirage of some sort.

"What's wrong?" Ratchet piped up as he got closer to the interior of the base. "Don't you see that –By Primus!"

He gasped with stunned optics at the blank monitor screens and the smoke leaking from a dismantled Ground Bridge control panel. Exposed wires crackled electricity from the lever used to activate the Ground Bridge.

"What happened?" Arcee Three asked out loud, covering her mouth with her hand.

"We're shut down," Ultra Magnus answered. "How'd you guys get in here?"

"We used the generator from Wheeljack's ship when we couldn't reach the base," Ratchet said, nodding to the Bulkheads. Their frowns disappeared and childish grins replaced them.

"That's Jackie, always one step ahead from us!" Bulkhead exclaimed, pumping his fist. "Gosh, wish we had your mission."

Bumblebee Five bleeped to them Wheeljack's message as he set down Bumblebee Two on the table so Ratchet could repair him. Bulkhead Two and Three chuckled, glad to hear that Wheeljack knew about them.

"Hope you guys did better than us in retrieving the relic," Arcee Six said to Five. Arcee Five bit her lip, unable to find the right words for her answer.

"Big whoop," a hoarse voice suddenly said and the Arcees looked down in surprise. Bumblebee Two and Five watched uncomfortably as Agent Fowler stomped up the stairs to Arcee Six's optic level and began to explain the whole mess.

"The reason my boys shut us down is because of that silly ring. You see, the Cons sent them a little video they had recorded during a fight with us. Basically, it made us look like the bad guys."

At this moment, Bulkhead Three transformed into truck mode and drove back to his corner. He blasted the volume of Miko's favorite song inside his alt mode, blocking all that would be said about him.

The newly arrived Autobots looked sadly at him and then returned towards Fowler.

"They gotta take care of security, right?" he continued. "So they shut down all of our communications and transportation so we can't contact each other to plan out another "evil plot". They just walked in here with a sledgehammer and destroyed just about every piece of equipment they could find."

"That explains why we couldn't call you for a Bridge," Ratchet reasoned. "We thought it was because of the blizzard."

"And then, worst of all, they ripped up my badge and threw it in my face!" Fowler cried out. "I'm an alien as far as they care."

He looked down and squeezed his eyes together, holding in a sniffle.

"We're basically locked down until they get what they want, okay?"

"Well why are you staying here?" Ratchet boomed, pounding the medical table where Bumblebee Two laid. "We'll find the Decepticons, and when we do, I will make them return the Stanix Ring, if it's the last thing I ever do!"

"You're acting like we're a bunch of dummies!" Arcee Five yelled angrily. She was tired of not being listened to.

"Ratchet, think," Bulkhead Two added. "We-"

"We think they care about something else –s-someone else," Raf finished, as he shut his laptop.

His words seemed to drain Ratchet's Energon, and for a moment his spark ceased beating.

"_Optimus_?"

**that's right folks, its gonna go down! now dont worry lik i did; the story's main focus is still the relics and megs trying to obtain the power of the Spark. just thought i'd throw in another problem for the bots =) if you're afraid bout the clones, they will be featured again after the 4-parter im making starting from ep.7-10. remember, this is called the clone chronicles for a reason and its not JUST cuz i wanted to clone (ahem) Arcee...as the series progresses, u'll see the theme at play mor than u'd expect so expect the unexpected =) this is everyday hero, glad to offer u free, good-natured entertainment!**


	9. Chapter 9

To** Prodigal: I'll be working on ur story idea when i finish the clone chronicles so maybe bout the end of the year around Nov-Dec. no promises tho, but i'll try to get to it ASAP. just bear with me and i hope ur enjoying the clone chronicles while ur waiting =)  
**

**To readers: remember, all of the relic episodes take place after bee's dilemma with Siren, so the kids didn't know anything bout it at first. The following moment with poor Jack takes place a little after Optimus announces the team to split for the relics so just remember all of this is happening simultaneously with ep.7 and 8. That's all I hav to say...for now =) Reviews and PMs would be greatly appreciated, as always. I'm catching a bit of writer's block/procrastination cuz im starting to experiment a little with POETRY so i'll try to work on the series as much as possible but u might take a break (only for a few days/weeks tho).  
**

Episode 9: Road Trip

Jack spun his number 2 pencil in his hand as he searched his mind for the right function to use. The rest of his Pre-Calculus class busily punched the keys on their TI-89 calculators, their smug faces full of confidence. Unfortunately, Jack was probably the only one in that room who had watched a drive-in movie with Arcee Three last night instead of practicing more problems for the test. Behind him, he heard Sierra's pencil fly away on her test, solving every problem correctly. He wanted desperately to cheat, but it seemed like a little Optimus on his shoulder yanked his ear at the very thought of it.

To his luck, a heavy metal ringtone invaded the room's silence, and all of the class' eyes turned on him slightly.

"Mr. Darby, is that your phone emanating the _most_ ostentatious tune?" his pompous math teacher, Ms. Frank, declared in her annoying studious voice. The students grinned while looking down at their tests, but Sierra stared up at Jack's backside. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

"Sorry, it's…my mom," Jack said, staring down at his desk.

"Tell her to call you back at a more appropriate time…right here."

Jack yanked his Motorola out of his bag, and flipped it open while sitting in the center of the class.

"Yeah, Mom?" he asked, knowing it wasn't her.

"Jack, Optimus needs your help!" Arcee Five's voice bubbled in the speaker. Ms. Frank raised her eyebrow slightly, and Jack rolled his eyes when he heard a classmate whisper that his mother sounded hot.

"I-I'm kinda taking a test right now," he whispered uncomfortably.

"Bee Four's on his way," she continued, ignoring his comment. "Meet him at the front of the school and I'll Bridge you guys to Optimus."

"Wait –I can't just leave school like that," Jack muttered, glancing at Ms. Frank's analytical squint.

"Find a way! Or else I'll send a Bridge to where you're at!"

She hung up abruptly, and Jack flipped the screen down, irritated. Peeking once more at Ms. Frank's flaring nostrils, he gulped and asked her a deadly question.

"Can I...take the test later?"

The entire room gasped and Ms. Frank gave Jack her cold stare through her horn-rimmed glasses.

"And give me one good reason you should, other than that you're clearly unprepared."

Jack bit his dried lips.

"I…just need to use the restroom. It's an emergency."

He blushed when a few giggles echoed the room, and Ms. Frank put down her pencil on the quizzes she was correcting.

"You have two minutes –not a second more."

Jack could hardly believe his luck. "Oh, thanks so much-"

"Let me remind you that your test is a zero if you're late for any reason-"

"Got that," Jack said, relieving himself from his desk. "Two min-"

"_Go_."

Instantly, Jack shot from his desk and out the nearest door, a giant **F** on his test plastered in his mind. He quickly slid down the stairs, dashed past rows of blue lockers, and finally crashed through an emergency exit at the side.

* * *

Bumblebee Four watched his rear view mirror for a brief second and then continued with his racing game. Rotating his steering wheel rapidly, he maneuvered from his opponent's ram, and sped to the next loop. Once more, he looked at his mirror and bleeped enthusiastically when he saw Jack sprinting from the side of the school. He unwillingly closed his game and swung open the passenger door.

"Bee, step on it!" Jack panted once he slunk inside. "Before I get detention for life!"

Bumblebee Four buckled him in and revved his engine loudly until a familiar ecstatic voice called out. One that chilled Jack to his bones.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Miko yelled out, Raf running close behind. Jack stared blankly, flabbergasted, and Bumblebee Four exhaled as Miko bounced into the back seat with Raf at her side.

"What are you guys doing here?" Jack shouted, craning his neck over his seat. Bumblebee Four zoomed off from the pavement and headed toward the coordinates where Arcee Five would Bridge him.

"Duh," Miko answered. "We-"

"Raf, you got anything to say?" Jack interrupted, refusing to listen to her babbling.

The short twelve-year old adjusted his glasses. "Our classes were listening to a lecture, and then I saw Miko sneak out of the room right after it began. I knew she was looking for trouble, so I just told my teacher that I felt sick and went after her."

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Miko asked, annoyed. "You're not Bulkhead!"

"Miko, just shut it!" Jack exploded. "And how come you never leave _me _alone? Seriously, why?"

"I ONLY ASKED FOR JACK!" Arcee Five boomed with frustration over the radio after Bumblebee Four bleeped to her the news. The kids abandoned their argument. "HOW HARD IS IT FOR MIKO TO UNDERSTAND?"

Miko rolled her eyes and crossed her arms stubbornly. Jack and Raf heard her sigh and begin to tap keys silently.

"Sending Ground Bridge over," she spoke in a calmer tone.

Bumblebee Four swerved into an alleyway behind a faded orange apartment with cloudy windows, and Jack recognized it as where he and Arcee first met Arcee Two. A large green portal appeared next to the stairs and Bumblebee Four's muscle car mode entered. To everyone's surprise, Miko was silent throughout the rest of the ride.

* * *

Parked at the entrance of a forest trail were several vehicles. Two identical blue motorcycles stood next to a yellow muscle car with black stripes, and a bulky green truck remained with a red and blue longnose truck. They sadly watched a family of hikers pass into the woods, wishing that their species was less…conspicuous. For the time being, the relic was safe from the Decepticons' grasp, but Optimus dreadfully knew that they wouldn't hesitate to obtain it in front of the public.

"Where's the neon lights and gold streets?" Bulkhead Four radioed to the gang, using his front tire to point at the healthy trees.

"C'mon, Bulk," Arcee Two sighed. "There's more to Vegas than just that."

Bumblebee sulkily bleeped a comment.

"I believe you would find the games here…peculiar, Bumblebee," Optimus noted. "It is best that we stay at the other part of town, where the humans' bodies are less, uh, exposed."

"We get the picture," Arcee Four said. She groaned in vehicle mode. "Where's Jack? It's been ten minutes already."

"Be patient, Jack's on his way probably," Optimus assured. Only a second passed by until he gave in.

"Bumblebee Four," he radioed. "Is Jack with you?"

_Beep Bleep Bleep Bleep Bloop_.

"Should've known," Arcee Two muttered. Optimus and Bumblebee only sighed together, though Bumblebee was glad Raf tagged along.

"Ha, that's Miko," Bulkhead Four added, almost with pride. "Always jumping at the chance."

"Her courage might be her worst flaw, Bulkhead Four," Optimus reminded. "She has no idea of the danger she's putting herself in."

**To Prodigal: An answer to ur review, I got the perfect name for ur series idea. TF Prime: Megatronus! And as for ur question, I liv in the U.S. and that's all i can say.  
**

**As for ur ideas, i can't use 100 wrds. but i'll try to narrow down what i lik: for ur megatronus idea, i really luv the idea of seeing how megs could've ended up as and the sheer awkwardness the cons will feel once their leader is gone and (wait for it) screamer will try to replace him! as for ur insecticon story, i lik how it's a trust episode and the bots hav to be so cautious to the point of being suspicious of their human allies! and it would be hilarious to see hardshell talk with jack's voice lol and as for ur aliens idea, again i dont kno much bout the franchise except for what u've told me so i guess. and once again, i appreciate ur patience cuz i'm working as hard as i can on clone chronicles.  
**

**To reader: Kudos to Primessparrow for giving me the idea of using a staff for the relic. Also, just a big "u rock" to all of my readers, including T'Reilani cuz i kno she'll nag me bout it XD hope u keep following clone chronicles cuz well, it'll be worth it =) -everyday hero  
**

A moment later, a Ground Bridge appeared within a group of trees behind them, away from sight. The Autobots heard Bumblebee Four darting out of the foliage and making his way towards them. Abruptly, he skidded in front of Optimus and flipped both of his doors out. Jack and Raf irritably slammed their sneakers onto the ground and walked towards Optimus, Miko trailing behind. She winked to Bulkhead Four's truck mode, and he flickered his headlights at her encouragingly.

The three kids entered Optimus' truck cab and, as always, Jack was the first one to ask for answers.

"What's going on?" he demanded. "Bee Four told us 'bout the whole operation with Siren and the relic coordinates, but what does that have to do with you being able to pull us outta school just now?"

"Jack, we looked at every possibility to avoid involving you three," Optimus began shamefully, speaking through the stereo of the truck. "Only humans are able to help us with this mission, and we know so few of you. Agent Fowler is already aiding in Ultra Magnus' team's mission, and your mother –I have a hunch that she would refuse."

Jack couldn't argue with that. Optimus continued.

"We decided that you were our best option, but we had mistakenly overlooked your loyalties to each other."

Jack sighed, reluctantly holding back a snarky comment about Miko.

"The relic is buried within the trail, about a mile away," Optimus informed. "Bulkhead Four will supply you with your gear, and you will begin immediately. We will surround the forest trail, in case of any Decepticons. Be careful, and be on the lookout for any scouts the Decepticons might have sent. If there is an emergency, do not hesitate to alert any one of us."

"Optimus, time is short," Arcee Four radioed. The kids watched Optimus' brake pad tap uneasily, as if he was fighting the decision to let them go on their own. He sighed.

"Good luck," he concluded. "Roll out."

His driver door swung open and the kids exited the truck, Miko grinning lightly at the thought of their own mission. Bulkhead Four unlocked his trunk, revealing three bright yellow shovels and Arcee Four's scanner. Although it was the smallest one of the Autobots, Jack had to clasp both sides awkwardly with his hands and almost dropped it at its weight. To humans, the scanner was almost as heavy as three dictionaries.

He hugged it to his chest and proceeded forward, Raf and Miko handling the shovels. Raf held two over his shoulder normally, and Miko pretended to use hers as an electric guitar, stringing imaginary strings and humming a Smash Monkey song.

Optimus carefully watched them with his visor, and when they were out of sight, commanded the team to keep them in their sights the entire time.

* * *

Cybertronian symbols on the scanner's screen glowed blue and beeped repeatedly when Jack had placed it over an area of soil a few feet off the trail.

"I think it means the relic's underneath here," Raf suggested, planting his foot at the spot. Jack shrugged along.

"Or it could mean there's a bomb," Miko sang in a high tone, and Jack shook his head.

"I'll take my chances," he said flatly. He took one of the shovels from Raf and jabbed it into the soil.

"Raf, help me out with this."

The two boys shoveled like machines, scooping up massive amounts of dirt each time. Miko sheepishly joined them, purposely flinging some of the dirt at Jack's face. Quickly, he sputtered to get it out of his mouth; not even realizing who had done it. He continued digging and his shovel suddenly hit something solid, and it clanged loudly. Foolish grins broke out on the kids' faces, and they eagerly dug at the object until it finally became visible.

The relic was a long black staff with green glowing rings that wrapped around it like a candy cane. Raf gasped at the Cybertronian symbol etched into a white and yellow crystal at the end of the staff: a design of an orange gear with curved lines at the side. Beside him, Miko and Jack knelt down and clasped their hands around the rod. Taking a deep sigh first, they heaved and were pleasantly surprised that the staff was no heavier than seventy pounds. Raf lined up behind Miko and grasped onto the end, so the kids held it like a battering ram.

"We gotta move fast," Jack whispered. "Optimus is waiting."

Carefully, they took long strides forward, moving at a steady pace. They walked through the forest off from the trail, since they knew that the hikers would be curious about the artifact they were carrying.

A Ground Bridge suddenly materialized in front of them and Arcee Five appeared within.

"Jeez, Jack, we've tried calling you like a billion times!" she yelled.

"Whoops, vibrate," Jack said, flipping out his Razr.

"Why do we even bother?" Arcee Five sighed to herself, palming her face, and he chuckled.

"Change of plan. We need Raf. Unless you can find someone else who can hack into the White House's security systems."

Behind his glasses, Raf's eyes bulged with excitement at the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He quickly let go of the staff and pulled his backpack up his small shoulders. Jack and Miko waved at him as he scrambled into the portal with Arcee Five.

The two waved back inside the portal, and it vanished in mere seconds. Sighing, Miko and Jack gripped harder onto the staff and continued.

They walked for three minutes until Jack stopped in his tracks, and Miko bumped her face into his neck.

"Hey!" Miko complained painfully.

"_Shhhh_." Jack brushed a palm tree leaf out of the way and the kids saw a red tanker truck park on the pavement, on a different parking lot from the one they had met Optimus on.

"That truck's a Con," he warned. "Arcee Two and I met up with him during a drive."

"Megs probably sent him to get this," Jack assumed, raising the staff.

"Finders keepers," Miko uttered, and they took a different route, racing to tell Optimus.

* * *

The Autobots sighed with relief in vehicle mode when the two kids emerged from the dense brush, lugging the long staff on their shoulders.

"Hey, is Raf with the others?" Arcee Four asked urgently. Hastily, Jack nodded back and the two jumped inside Bulkhead Four.

"We gotta hurry!" Jack hollered inside the truck. "That Con tanker truck is here!"

"Flatline," Arcee Two spat.

"Follow my lead," Optimus declared, starting his throaty engine. He stepped on his gas pedal and sped away from the trail, the Autobots tailing behind. They drove for a mile and then turned onto a deserted road near the boiling desert. After assuring that there were no signs of life, Optimus and the team transformed into robot mode. While the others were busy stretching their sore parts, the Autobot leader called the base.

"Ultra Magnus, we have obtained the Deflector," he said. "Bridge us back."

Only static responded, and Optimus repeated the message.

"So, what does this thingamigbobber do?" Miko questioned Bulkhead Four, pointing at it on the ground. Jack only crossed his arms and looked down aside her, repressing his desire to tape up her mouth

At her question, Bulkhead Four released a hearty laugh and wiped his optics.

"When we get back, you'll see."

"Awww," Miko whined back. Jack shook his head and gazed up at Optimus, realizing that for the first time, he appeared _frustrated_.

"What's up?" Arcee Two asked him, noticing him gritting his teeth and staring up at the faint sky in annoyance.

"I'm not getting a response."

Bumblebee bleeped, offering a light suggestion.

"I'm certain this is not a joke, Bumblebee. They need our help. We must come to their aid."

"Wait –you're saying we're gonna have to _drive_ back?" Jack panicked. "With Flatline behind us and all the Cons watching?"

Optimus looked at the kids sorrowfully, holding back a teardrop. He crouched down to get to their level.

"I am –I am deeply sorry for throwing you two into this mess," Optimus spoke. "You never asked to be a part in all this chaos…I promise that we will protect you with our lives, if that is the cost for redemption."

All of Jack's anger towards the Autobots seemed to melt away at Optimus' words.

"Don't blame yourself, this was always gonna happen."

Optimus shamefully smiled back, proud of how much Jack had matured.

"I will keep my promise anyway, Jack. For always. Thank you for your understanding."

Jack nodded awkwardly and joined with Miko inside Bulkhead Four. Optimus turned to the address the rest of the team.

"Autobots, _metal to the pedal_!"

_Chh-ch-ch_. Optimus took a running start and transformed into truck mode in mid-air. Behind him, the Autobots transformed into vehicle mode and dashed forward on the Las Vegan road as if they were heading into war, the bright sunlight gleaming on their metal.

The race of their lives had officially begun…

* * *

Half an hour had passed, and the Autobots continued down Highway 375, ironically nicknamed Extraterrestrial Highway (yes, this is actually a REAL highway!). The sleepy town of Jasper laid a hundred fifty miles ahead, an endless fleet of zooming vehicles and a bottom-numbing two hour drive between it and the Autobots. With Optimus at the lead, the team swerved into another crowd of cars, grateful for the absence of traffic.

"Hey, let's play a game!" Miko cried enthusiastically inside Bulkhead Four's truck mode.

"Hmm? Mm, okay," Jack said drowsily. He straightened up from his nap and rubbed the back of his aching neck.

"Okay," he started. "I spy…something that's red-"

"Optimus! My turn!"

"Let me finish, jeez! Anyway, I spy something red with a yellow letter on it."

"A McDonalds sign?"

Jack choked. "How'd you get it so fast? We passed that sign an hour ago."

"Duh, it's so obvious! Now, watch the master."

She whipped her head back and her jaw dropped the next moment. Curious, Jack followed her gaze and cringed uncomfortably at what she was seeing...who she was seeing.

"Uh…_Bulk_!" Miko exclaimed urgently, pointing through the back window. "We got company!"

Only a few minutes away, twelve black police Suburbans were in pursuit of the Autobots, and their sirens blared loudly along with the flickering lights atop the vehicles. The vehicles on the freeway quickly began pulling over,

"Cons!" Jack and Miko yelled at the same time.

"They're just cops," Arcee Four radioed to Bulkhead. "We can handle them."

"Then why is _he _here?" Miko pointed.

A hulking blue armored truck rolled behind the police cars; it cut in front of a bus and brutally pushed a red car out of its way and into a tan minivan.

"Optimus?" Arcee Two asked at his side.

"It can't be!" he shouted. "Bulkhead Four-"

"Finish him off once and for all?" he interrupted, in a slightly hopeful tone.

"Protect the children!" Optimus replied. "Move up ahead!"

"You got it."

Immediately, Bulkhead Four accelerated past the Arcees and Bumblebees, and pulled over in front of Optimus' truck mode.

"What now?" Jack asked in his seat. He almost jumped out of his skin when the screech of a microphone replied.

"I know you're in there!" a voice boomed behind them. Jack and Miko swiveled their heads around, and the Autobots looked through their rearview mirrors.

"You Bots got nowhere to run…or hide," Silas announced. Time seemed to freeze when the team heard the seemingly indestructible man's voice. They realized with disgust that he was in the driver's seat of _Breakdown_, speaking through a megaphone mounted on the vehicle.

"As you all know by now, I hate following the law. But it's always nice when they decide to lock the exits so it's a lot easier to corner you guys."

Silas paused, desperately wishing that there would be more opportunities to see Optimus leak his Cybertronian alloy shorts.

"They even sent a team to come after you, Prime; to interrogate you and whatnot…but I'm sorry to say they couldn't make it."

Bumblebee then sickly realized that the police cars were dented with bullet holes, and their bumpers were worn out from ramming into men with suits.

"You know what we want," Silas said, directing it towards Optimus. "They won't cost you anything…after all, they're just _spare parts_."

Bumblebee Four whimpered to his original, and the Arcees growled furiously at the insult. Even Jack and Miko felt a blast of hot air erupt from Bulkhead Four's heater.

"If you refuse on my offer…well, MECH's got a plan already made for you and your team, Prime. Just like we did for my new ride."

**To Prodigal: What ho! You're British? Jolly good one, you. Sorry, couldn't resist. Hope you're enjoying the olympics! and for megatronus, i'll make sure to tell u when it's up, just remember it's prob. at the beginning of next year or hopefully the end of this one. Thanks for the reviews and support and I promise u I'll do the best i can to make this fanfic as epic as it can be -im off to a great start with this next sequence ;)  
**

His words sent a chill through Optimus like a horrible choice of motor oil. He and the team accelerated, and MECH attached to them like glue.

"That's your answer, Prime? Running away?" Silas said through the megaphone. "Let me reply."

A MECH soldier emerged from an SUV's sunroof with a rifle and shot several rounds that pierced through the hood of a yellow Subaru. Jack and Miko watched with disbelief as the car spun out of control and collided into a red Jeep. Luckily, both of the drivers survived, but it looked like the Subaru driver's head had taken a bad hit. The soldier quickly pointed his gun to the right and aimed for a trailer truck, but Optimus pushed him off in the nick of time. The soldier yelled as he toppled out of the sunroof and was catapulted off of the road.

"Tsk tsk," Silas said. "A Bot harming a human."

"You're not human," Optimus spoke sourly.

"Oh, you're very right," Silas glared. "You'll find out soon enough. But now, I think I have a craving for some alien weaponry."

Four MECH Suburbans behind him swerved into the exit branching from the road. Optimus and the Autobots realized with terror that each of the exits led up to Bulkhead Four ahead, and prepared themselves for one chaotic roller-coaster ride.

"Autobots!" Optimus declared. "Activate Stealth Mode! Pursue and destroy!"

It was easier done than said. The Bumblebees' roofs split in two, and a cannon arm emerged out of the driver's side. Their engine blocks elevated slightly and transformed into a powerful Energon cannon, and missile launchers flipped out from each of their sides (in my deviantart account AllHailHeroes u can get a look at their stealth modes if u havent yet, check it out for a reference!). Their burning tires left a streak on the road as they made a U-turn around Silas and the Autobots, and went after the two MECH vehicles. As harsh as lightning, Energon pistols erupted from the Arcees' sides and their seats flipped back to unveil a grenade launcher. A cannon transformed from Optimus' trailer hitch and he immediately directed it at MECH behind him.

At the same moment, MECH was readying its team. Soldiers poking out of the sunroofs cocked their deadly rifles loaded with self-designed bullets. A battering plow flipped over the Suburbans' front bumpers, and Silas backed up as an SUV sped in front of him to take on its first victim.

Bumblebees' POV

Bumblebee and Bumblebee Four raced viciously along the road, MECH about twenty feet away from them. With pinpoint accuracy, Bumblebee Four launched an Energon blast clean through a Suburban and the burning inferno flipped over to its side. Two MECH soldiers angrily kicked the passenger doors off their hinges and aimed their rifles at the two yellow Urbana muscle cars. Simultaneously, they shot several rounds at the Autobots and took a suicide dive into the river beneath the road. Meanwhile, the Bumblebees felt no damage after they shot so they concluded that hopefully it was a missed shot.

Gracefully, Bumblebee launched his chassis into the air and over the crushed Suburban, and his clone repeated the move. Effortlessly, they landed smoothly on their tires and continued delivering Energon beams at the three Suburbans ahead.

Optimus and Arcees' POV

The soldier on top of the SUV launched a peculiar ball-shaped bullet at Optimus' truck bed, and Optimus blew up the vehicle with an Energon blast from his cannon. Suddenly, he heard four shots sound next to him and glanced through his mirrors. He caught a glimpse of an SUV driving away from his right side, a soldier reloading his gun perched on top. Strangely, he felt no pain and his scanners didn't detect any explosives. Refocusing, he swiveled his back cannon around and shot at Silas, but his reflexes were impressive. The MECH leader dodged and weaved, and the Energon bounced harmlessly off the road.

Another ball-shaped bullet went over his cab and lodge onto Arcee Two's grenade launcher. It didn't blow a hole surprisingly; it only attached like a magnet. A whirring sound filled his audio sensors, and he directed his mirror away from MECH for a moment and towards his back truck section. At first, he saw no threat…until a small and round creature with cat-like ears came around and chewed at his side, leaving a trail of chiseled metal.

"Scraplets!" Arcee Two screamed at his side, destroying one chewing at her rim with her pistol. Optimus followed suit, and blasted the ones gnawing on him but in a few seconds, MECH mercilessly launched more at him. _Pop, pop, pop_. The Scraplets went from the barrels of their guns, unfolding from their ball form and sinking their razor-sharp teeth onto Optimus. Not even the great Autobot leader could control himself. He painfully groaned in truck mode as the multitude of Scraplets ate away the metal skin under his truck disguise. He crashed against the road barriers, and managed to knock off ten of them onto the pavement. The Arcee clones ground the vermin into dust with their tires, and Optimus sent more for their pleasure as he shot dozens of Scraplets off his truck mode.

Optimus and the Arcees ceaselessly shot forward, burning with pain from the Scraplets' jagged teeth. The three passed into a steel bridge and two MECH SUVs came up quickly behind.

"I got Optimus," a MECH soldier radioed to Silas, spotting him near the end of the tunnel. Hurriedly, he pulled out his Scraplet rifle when all of a sudden, two shadows passed over his windshield. Clinging onto the ceiling trusses of the bridge, the Arcees swung down and sent roundhouse kicks to the unsuspecting MECH vehicles. They watched with triumphant grins as the police cars hurtled down into the water, and gave each other approving nods. Below them, Silas and five MECH SUVs drove past at brutal speeds. Knowing that Optimus would need their help, the Arcees dismounted and began transforming in the air. As soon as their front tires hit the road, the two motorcycles burnt rubber, and switched back to Stealth Mode.

Forty feet ahead of them, Optimus agonizingly rolled on, his mind set on protecting the children and ignoring the Scraplets tearing through his circuitry. He angrily sent another blast at MECH behind, but they skillfully dodged it.

"You're brave but foolish, Prime," Silas bellowed. "You just don't know how high the stakes are."

Beside him, a MECH Suburban rammed into a white and orange VW bus off the road. Optimus saw that there was a family with four kids inside, and wasted no time to make a screeching U-turn. Silas and MECH drove past, knowing that they had a small window to capture Bulkhead Four while Optimus was distracted.

The kids and their parents screamed at the top of their lungs as their bus plunged down towards the highway thirty meters below. The three sons hugged their little sister and the parents together hopelessly prayed for a miracle.

A red and blue truck glided off the road they were on only moments ago and Optimus Prime clasped onto the back bumper with his right hand and dangled on the bridge with his left. A wave flowed past peacefully below, and the Autobot leader let out a great sigh of relief that echoed loudly.

To his luck, his left arm began to numb painfully and he felt his grip slowly loosening.

**LAST UPDATE, I KNEW IT WOULD TAKE AWHILE TO FIND IT ;)**

**To Prodigal: Your idea sounds neat, but honestly, I'm not really a big fan of humans turning into tfs...i might use the con switch idea but maybe for the bots instead, lik bulk or bee getting injected with DE, i might change my mind tho so please dont be upset. but again i will do the best i can with ur ideas, and i hope u can trust me =) thanks for all of ur reviews!  
**

**To readers: Check out SizzingPrime's story How the Mighty Might Have Fallen! it's an awesome spinoff of rotf/dotm and such a good read! heck, there's prob mor suspense and drama in it than my story lol if ur reading this SizzlingPrime, I thank u again for giving a shout out for my story in urs =) I'd be honored to thank all of my eldest readers T'Reilani, Lionfire42, Primessparrow, sakiko of soleana, and ArtemisDragonheart also. And also to my awesome newbies, i'll be sure to mention hopefully all of u guys latr ;) keep up with the reviews and PMs and this is everyday hero, over n out  
**

With all his efforts, he held on, determined to save the humans' lives. Fire coursed through his Energon, but he continued fighting. His sensors picked up two vehicles approaching, and before he could transform his hand into a blaster, Arcee Two lifted him with his left hand and Arcee Four grabbed his shoulder to haul his body up. He offered them a pleased smile and gently set the bus down on the road. The family inside had fallen unconscious during their dive, and the Arcees giggled at the thought of them waking up on the highway. They would never know their heroes, but the Autobots were more than fine with that.

After thanking Arcee Two and Four hastily, Optimus transformed back into stealth mode and shot towards MECH like a deadly bullet. The girls followed his manner, and zoomed to catch up with their leader. Optimus raced towards MECH with lightning speed, and for a brief moment, it felt like he was defying time itself.

Bumblebees' and kids' POV

Jack watched uneasily through Bulkhead Four's back window at MECH and Silas coming close.

"Miko! Now!"

He swung down the window and Miko excitedly popped her rock star head out.

"Get some!" she cried, launching shaken bottles of soda pop at them. The two kids had filled bottles stashed in Miko's schoolbag with Jack's Mentos and the bottles exploded like fireworks in front of a MECH soldier's face. He shrieked and fell off from the sunroof, and his comrades swerved out of the way.

"Looking good guys!" Bulkhead Four encouraged.

"I don't know how long we can keep them off," Jack said, staring at Silas only a few feet away.

In the nick of time, two yellow cars turned sharply from the exit and covered Bulkhead Four's rear. They cussed in Cybertronian as five Suburbans behind shot a horde of Scraplets at them, and faced the danger. Furiously, they unleashed rounds of Energon at the critters, and Bumblebee dumped gallons of oil on the pavement. An SUV got trapped instantly in the puddle, and the kids cheered when it skated uncontrollably off the road and plunged down. Another MECH vehicle replaced it and shot five Scraplets forward.

Bulkhead Four shrieked like a banshee and accelerated like a madman. Before they could mock him, Jack and Miko were thrown back into their seats and held back their lunch the best they could.

Behind, the Scraplets slid under Bumblebee Four's engine block and dismantled the scout from the inside. The young Autobot bleeped frantically as they brunched, and Bumblebee managed to knock two off by ramming his body against his clone's. MECH took their moment of opportunity, and hammered his stealth mode with more Scraplets. They bit into Bumblebee's car parts and began making their way into the delectable Cybertronian techno-organic metal.

The MECH soldiers reloaded their guns and prepared to launch more rounds until a volley of grenades landed on the car roofs. They hysterically swept them into the ocean before they could detonate, and two motorcycles slyly snuck in between two SUVs at the back. Blades jutted out from the Arcees' sides, and they each sliced a pair of tires.

"Hi-yah!" they cried identically, and they pushed against the cars. Without the support of their side tires, the SUVs tumbled over the side of the road.

"Grrr!" Silas muttered, looking through his rearview mirror. He dodged an Energon blast from Bumblebee Four, and pursued Bulkhead Four, refusing to leave without the weapon.

The soldiers in the last two MECH SUVs stared uneasily at the two muscle cars and motorcycles boxing them in.

"Busted," Arcee Four uttered in a deadly tone.

* * *

Silas glanced at Breadown's speedometer. Ninety miles per hour, it read. It gradually rose as Silas stepped on the gas pedal, and got ever closer to the green truck.

He triggered the Energon cannon, and it popped up from the hood. Silas grinned as the crosshairs on the targeting screen locked onto Bulkhead Four.

"Got you big guy," he spoke. His hand lifted to push the trigger.

_Er-Er_! Optimus shot from the rear like a cannonball, and smashed his grille into the blue armored truck. Silas desperately fought with the steering wheel, but it was too late. Breakdown's vehicle mode slid off the road, scarring the pavement with hot tire tracks.

Optimus screeched to a halt, and the rest of the Autobots gathered around his truck mode.

"Have a nice swim," Miko said, her head popped out of Bulkhead Four's window. Beside her, Jack belched and slammed his head against his seat.

"Optimus, we couldn't capture the MECH soldiers," Arcee Four said in motorcycle mode, driving over the last Scraplet Bumblebee had shot off. "Arcee Two and I had them trapped, but they took a suicide dive."

Her words blurred within Optimus' mind, for he was focusing intently on Silas' tire tracks. He transformed into robot mode and slowly walked forward, the Autobots and kids watching uneasily. Squatting down, he peered over the ledge of the road.

Nothing.

Suddenly, a large blue hand shot out and sucker-punched Optimus into a road sign.

Cautiously, the Autobots transformed and activated their weapons. Jack gulped as Breakdown's robot mode climbed up from under the bridge, and smashed his feet back onto the road. Except it wasn't Breakdown anymore. A giant MECH logo was plastered on his abdomen, and in place of his mouth was a trapezoid-shaped screen. His optics were yellow, but not the same as Breakdown's. They were colored like Nemesis Prime's, cold and lifeless. His chest pieces opened, revealing Silas within a blast-proof window. Jack and Miko cringed when they noticed that Silas' body was cut off. His waist was mounted onto a platform of sensors and wires, and his arms were wrapped around a mechanism that allowed his body to control Breakdown's robot mode. (Think Avatar with the AMP suit, Silas DRIVES the suit in vehicle mode but becomes part of it in vehicle mode)

"You've done some serious damage to me with my robot, Prime," Silas began. "But know this: you can never destroy me."

"Wanna bet?" Bulkhead Four hissed, triggering his mace.

"Bulkhead Four, stay down," Optimus warned, stepping in front of him. He transformed his hand into a blaster. He glared at Silas, and the MECH leader chuckled at Optimus' stupidity.

"I have better things to do than fighting you, Prime." Swiftly, he transformed and the Autobots brutally unleashed blasts of Energon at his form, but they did minimal damage. Bulkhead Four broke out from the ranks and swung his mace at Silas, but he drove out of the way. He left a large cloud of smoke behind, and Jack and Miko shielded their eyes while Optimus, Bulkhead Four, Arcee Two, and Bumblebee Four charged forward through the cloud.

Bumblebee bleeped in frustration to Arcee as they shielded the kids.

"I always keep my guard on, Bee," she said, her pistol pointed forward in case of any surprise attacks.

Behind Jack, five MECH soldiers suddenly appeared from the bottom of the bridge, operating jetpacks. Stealthily, they snatched the Deflector wedged under Jack's arm.

"What –hey!" Jack shouted, whipping his head back. Arcee Two and Bumblebee immediately swiveled their bodies and fired Energon ruthlessly at the soldiers, but they were too late.

A MECH soldier pushed a button on the staff and a holographic green diamond appeared at the end. The Autobots' shots were absorbed like a wind machine, and the rod's symbols glowed brightly.

"No!" Arcee Two yelled as he flew higher and aimed the rod at the others chasing Silas. A big blue ball of their combined Energon shots spouted from the diamond and hit Optimus. He lost control and skidded on the road, and his team following him painfully crashed into his truck mode.

Bumblebee and Arcee Two glared at the group of soldiers as they retreated, and Silas drove his suit down into the ocean, where a MECH submarine was awaiting him.

Meanwhile, the Autobots and kids gathered around their damaged leader, smoke hissing from his hood.

"Optimus?" Jack asked hopefully.

He transformed and splayed his body on the road, Energon leaking from his wounds. He painfully smiled at his team and was glad to see that the others weren't that injured.

A black helicopter suddenly appeared above, and the Autobots pointed their guns at it, in case it was MECH. Then they noticed that it had the emblem for the U.S. government.

They watched as it landed and a man in a suit stepped out, bodyguards following him.

"Optimus Prime, I am General Bryce," he introduced, though Optimus had already met him before with Fowler. "And all I have to say is that we are in great debt to you and your team."

"Why?" Arcee Two asked suspiciously.

"The government shut down your base's communications, so that we could have a private chat about your motives. We had foolishly believed that you were a threat to this country."

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. Everyone but Optimus looked with disgust at him now.

"Well, we were wrong. And I came to say that the United States government has restored your base, and that we are now on the same team."

A Ground Bridge appeared beside the helicopter, and the Autobots did not hesitate to end the conversation. They gathered Optimus and angrily headed into the portal, the kids accompanying them.

"Just to let you idiots know, we were always on the same team!" Miko outraged, and Jack pulled her away though he was as furious as her.

General Bryce watched the Autobots inside the Ground Bridge, their backs turned against him. It slowly began to fade away, and at the moment he was about to head back to the copter, a voice spoke.

"We forgive you," Optimus said weakly. A heavy burden on Bryce seemed to disintegrate, and he lit a rare smile.

* * *

"I see them!" Raf shouted excitedly, pointing at Optimus' team at the end of the tunnel.

"Gosh, they look worse than we did," Arcee Six noted to Bumblebee Two, cringing at all of their Scraplet scars. The Scraplets did no real damage thankfully, only flesh wounds. However, they still looked like they had run through a jungle of chains.

"I'll prepare sick bay," Ratchet said, and he dashed to the other side of the room, almost stepping on Fowler.

Ultra Magnus jogged up to Optimus, and eyed his dents and wounds with concern.

"MECH is back," Bulkhead Four spat at the side. He said it as he fearfully pulled off a dead Scraplet lodged on his leg, like it was radioactive.

"Even worse, they now have the Deflector," Arcee Two added, gesturing towards Jack. "I don't know if we'll ever have another shot at them, literally."

"I sense that we will," Optimus suddenly spoke. "Even power is not eternal."

The three fell into silence as Optimus uttered another sentence.

"Track down Ratchet Two's team's coordinates," he instructed Ultra Magnus.

"We did as soon as the government restarted the Bridge." he comforted.

"Many thanks, Ultra Magnus."

Miko ran into the scene, after showing Bulkhead her new playlist for recon expeditions.

"'Cee Five told me that the others are on their way, Bulk Four," she smiled.

As if on cue, the tunnel lit up again and the rest of the team gathered around the entrance, Ratchet staying at the back to ready his tools.

The first one to step out was Arcee. She had a gimp in her walk and looked like she was about to topple over any minute. Arcee Three and Four held onto her just when she was about to trip, and Jack gasped at her bruised left optic. The pain on her body was badly scratched up and one of her wings was bent back. She looked like murder.

"Arcee," Jack whispered, and she gave him another of her _I'll be fine_ stares with her good optic.

Ratchet Two entered, badly beaten and his chest windows were completely cracked. Bumblebee broke out and was about to support his frail body when Bumblebee Six came inside, carrying Bumblebee Three in his arms.

All optics turned on the injured Bumblebee. A hole was through his chest and black smog leaked out of his back.

Bumblebee shrieked and ran over to Bumblebee Six urgently. He was only inches away when his clone stopped him with one thundering step forward.

He glared tightly, and a hidden darkness within the base seemed to break free.


	10. author note

MY FELLOW READERS, I HAVE A MESSAGE FOR YOU. NO, I WILL NOT STOP WRITING THE CLONE CHRONICLES AS I HAVE HINTED TO A FEW BUT RIGHT NOW AT THE POINT I TRULY THOUGHT THAT LIFE COULDN'T GET ANY MEANER, IT BITES BACK WITH A CRUEL TRICK UP ITS SLEEVE**: ****MY FLASH DRIVE'S FILES ALL GOT DELETED! REFORMATTED FOR SOME REASON!**IT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE, AND I SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT COMING AND SAVED SOME STUFF ON THE COMPUTER...BUT I DIDN'T =( I'M FINE WITH LOSING THE FIRST 9 CHAPTERS, I'M SO GLAD THEY'RE STILL ON FANFIC. ITS JUST THAT EP.10 IS COMPLETELY LOST. I DID SEND PREVIEWS TO A FEW SO I'M SO GLAD THAT THE LITTLE THINGS WE DECIDE CAN REALLY SAVE OUR BUTTS...BUT I'VE TYPED A LOT MORE EXTRA AND I DIDNT SAVE IT ANYWHERE BUT ON MY DRIVE...SO NOW I'M GONNA HAVE TO REMEMBER WHAT I WROTE DOWN AND REWRITE IT, BUT I NEED YOUR PATIENCE. I AM STILL PLANNING TO UPDATE ONCE I'M DONE WITH THE ENTIRE EPISODE SO IT MIGHT TAKE AWHILE. BUT HEY, SECOND TIME'S THE CHARM (SIGH). THIS IS EVERYDAY HERO, PROMISING YOU THAT I'LL DO THE BEST I CAN DO.

**wish me luck**


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